Nov

1

Stolen genes used for parasitic mind control

by masataka sasabe | Hot Off the Press

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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

by jens wilkinson | Hot Off the Press

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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

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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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

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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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

by riken research highlights | Research Highlight

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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

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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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

by adam phillips | Interviews

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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

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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

Aug

7

Deadly fungi beaten with fatty acid synthase inhibitor

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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A new approach to attacking fungi involves inhibiting a gene needed for making fatty acids.

Jul

12

A new and improved way to store hydrogen

by masataka sasabe | Hot Off the Press

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A simple chemical reaction allows hydrogen-carrying ammonia to be stored and retrieved cheaply and easily.

Jun

29

A new alpha-particle treatment for multiple cancers

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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A new type of alpha-particle therapy allows selective targeting of tumors in multiple cancers.

Jun

28

A researcher’s journey: from surfing to studying pain

by adam phillips | Interviews

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Joshua Johansen from RIKEN CBS tells us about his journey from surfer to pain researcher and beyond. Stay tuned for part II …

Jun

15

The first drug treatment for brain aneurysms (in mice)

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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Scientists discover that most aneurysms result from mutations. A mouse model shows they can be treated with drugs.

Jun

12

Simple but revolutionary modular organoids

by jens wilkinson | Hot Off the Press

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

May

19

Thoughts on the genetics of medicinal licorice

by jens wilkinson | Drop of science

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Jens talks about licorice and a recent RIKEN study that finally mapped its genome.

Apr

24

Pathogenic genetic variation linked to H. pylori-related stomach cancer

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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Researchers find that the risk of stomach cancer due to infection withH. Pylori bacteria increases with specific genetic variations.

Mar

29

ERRg predicts atrial fibrillation and hidden comorbidity

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

Polygenic risk scores based on the genetic data from more that a million people predicted atrial fibrillation, stroke, and mortality.

Dec

27

Memories are made of this ?? – (Part 2)

by adam phillips | Interviews

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Thomas McHugh from the RIKEN Center for Brain Science continues his discussion about memories, emotions, the brain, and life.

Dec

26

Replicating opossum heart regeneration to help fight cardiovascular disease

by adam phillips | Research Animation

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Animated research highlight: Opossum hearts hint at new ways of fighting cardiovascular disease

Dec

26

Spacey, nerdy nights in Tokyo

by kelly | What's Up With Us

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Kelly, our new It Ain’t Magic contributor, writes about her nerdy nighttime experiences in Tokyo.

Dec

16

Memories are made of this ? ? – (Part 1)

by adam phillips | Interviews

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Brain science ’round midnight episode 8: Thomas McHugh from the RIKEN Center for Brain Science discusses memories and the brain

Nov

18

Hibernation-like state can protect kidneys during heart surgery

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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Activating Q-neurons in the mouse brain led to a hibernation-like state that protected kidneys during heart surgery.

Sep

14

Crying baby? Science says walk, then sit

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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Recipe for success: Walk 5 min, sit 8 min, lay no-longer-crying baby down. Now you can relax.

Sep

6

Cyborg cockroaches to the rescue!

by masataka sasabe | Hot Off the Press

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The key to this remote-controllable cyborg cockroach is a solar-cell rechargeable battery and an ultrathin flexible backpack.

Aug

25

Ethanol pretreated soil protects plants from drought

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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Pretreating soil with ethanol protected plants, including wheat and rice, from the adverse effects of water deprivation.

Aug

22

Marsupial heart regeneration ability given to mice

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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Regeneration of mouse hearts ? ?? after birth achieved by figuring out how it’s possible in opossums.

Aug

19

How an herbal medicine protects against inflamed bowels

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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A Japanese herbal medicine promotes good bacteria and innate immune cells in the gut, which protects against intestinal inflammation.

Jul

7

Robotic AI helps efficient growth of replacement organs

by masataka sasabe | Hot Off the Press

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

Jun

20

Extra “eye” movements are the key to better self-driving cars

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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If self-driving cars make saccades like people, they might make fewer mistakes identifying important features of the road.

May

26

Palaeospondylus: mystery of vertebrate evolution solved

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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Micro-CT scans using synchrotron radiation X-rays reveal Palaeospondylus morphology, finally allowing its placement on the evolutionary tree.

Apr

28

Xist knockout rescues miscarriages in mice

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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Xist knockout rescues miscarriages in mice whose egg cells lack H3K27me3 epigenetic instructions.

Apr

27

A new type of cell death discovered in fly guts

by masataka sasabe | Hot Off the Press

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A completely unknown type of cell death called “erebosis” has been discovered in the guts of the common fruit fly.

Apr

6

Diagnosing fetal heart disease benefits from explanatory AI

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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Diagnosis accuracy improved when doctors used explanatory AI to help diagnose congenital heart disease from fetal ultrasound videos.

Apr

5

Chaos theory provides hints for controlling the weather

by jens wilkinson | Hot Off the Press

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Computer simulations were used to show that small adjustments to certain variables in the weather system could modify weather phenomena such as sudden downpours.

Mar

29

Robotic exoskeleton learns to help people stand up

by jens wilkinson | Hot Off the Press

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This new robotic exoskeleton uses machine learning to know when users want help standing up.

Feb

25

Nanocarrier spray: better crops without genetic modification

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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Gene expression, but not genomes, altered in plants and crops with a spray containing bioactive molecules tethered to nanocarrier peptides

Feb

16

Introducing Nikola, the emotional android boy

by adam phillips | Featured, Hot Off the Press

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

Feb

15

Green hydrogen production for fuel cells and fertilizers

by adam phillips | Featured, Hot Off the Press

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A new method of water electrolysis avoids rare metals, making hydrogen production green and sustainable.

Feb

9

Social contact-seeking behavior and loneliness in the brain

by adam phillips | Featured, Hot Off the Press

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Levels of the peptide amylin in the brain are related to loneliness; activating amylin neurons in the MPOA drives isolated mice to seek social contact.