The It Ain't Magic Science Blog

Cubes of brain tissue allow drug discovery without animals

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

Supermassive black holes still dark and mysterious

For the first time, scientists have measured the strength of magnetic fields near supermassive black holes and something doesn’t add up.

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Tape and vermilion: ingredients for mapping artifact origins

Vermilion samples taken from ancient artifacts with sulfur-free tape can tell us about trade patterns 3000 years ago.

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Robotic AI helps efficient growth of replacement organs

Humans team-up with a robotic AI to speed up experiments to find the best way to regrow damaged eye tissue from stem cells.

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Root growth improved in soil contaminated with cesium

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

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Quick, call Spiderman: scientists discover how spider silk is formed

A group of scientists led by researchers have discovered a key mechanism through which spider silk is formed.

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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!

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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.

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

“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.

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Laser melting ice-core sampler for studying climate change

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

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Scientists solve epigenetic barriers to cloning

Scientists show that two epigenetic factors improve the success rate of cloning via somatic cell nuclear transfer.

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Japanese people are a mixture of three separate ancestral groups

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

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The brain’s GPS has a buddy system

In addition to encoding self location, brain cells in the rat hippocampus act like a GPS that encodes the location of other rats.

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Jun

Blue gene regulation helps plants respond properly to light

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

Blue light alters some gene expression in plants by changing the transcription start sites to downstream locations.

Jun

Out on a limb: the many ‘brains’ of the octopus

by amanda alvarez | Drop of science

Learn how (neurologically) cool octopus arms are (as if you didn’t already know).

Jun

Mutation links bipolar disorder to mitochondrial disease

by amanda alvarez | Hot Off the Press

ANT1 mutations found in bipolar disease that affect mitochondria lead to hyperexcitable serotonergic neuronal activity in the brain.

Jun

My science communication journey in Tokyo

by sarah naimi | What's Up With Us

New contributor and nuclear physicist Sarah Naimi talks about her recent experience in science communication at a recent scicom event in Tokyo.

Jun

Gene linked to intellectual ability affects memory replay in mice

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

Scientists have discovered a gene in mice that allows memory replay at rest, a process necessary for forming long-lasting memories in mice.

May

Quick, call Spiderman: scientists discover how spider silk is formed

by jens wilkinson | Hot Off the Press

A group of scientists led by researchers have discovered a key mechanism through which spider silk is formed.

May

Mutation protects against Alzheimer’s disease in mice

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

Scientists discover a deletion mutation that reduces amyloid-beta plaque formation in Alzheimer’s disease model mice.

May

Plant peptide spells relief from salty stress

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

Newly discovered plant peptide hormone can be used to protect plants from excessive environmental salt.

May

Putting E. coli to work for us

by riken research highlights | Research Highlight

Specially engineered bacteria can produce an industrially significant chemical from renewable sources in a much gentler process than the one currently used by industry.

Why (mouse) mothers take risks to protect their infants

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

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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.

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Introducing Nikola, the emotional android boy

A new android named Nikola will help researchers study facial expressions, emotions, and social interactions.

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New lab-grown retinal sheets almost ready for clinical trials

A new retinal transplant technique works by preventing bipolar cells from maturing in lab-grown retinal sheets.

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Apr

Artificial gravity protects the immune system of mice in space

by adam phillips | Featured, Research News

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

Apr

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

by jens wilkinson | Hot Off the Press

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

Mar

Low-protein diet changes sperm and health of future offspring

by masataka sasabe | Hot Off the Press

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

Mar

Physiological origami and proper body development in flies

by masataka sasabe | Hot Off the Press

Genetics and mechanical origami in the fly embryo helps proper body development by fighting off “noisy” fluctuations is the environment.

Mar

Efficient and durable ultra-thin solar cells

by jens wilkinson | Hot Off the Press

Ultra-thin, flexible, organic solar cells that degrade less than 5 percent after 3,000 hours and an energy conversion ratio of 13%.

Mar

Tape and vermilion: ingredients for mapping artifact origins

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

Vermilion samples taken from ancient artifacts with sulfur-free tape can tell us about trade patterns 3000 years ago.

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