The It Ain't Magic Science Blog

Artificial gravity protects the immune system of mice in space

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

RIKEN Research Spring issue is here

Just a quick post to let you know that the Spring issue of RIKEN Research Magazine came out towards the end of March. This issue covers issues including the discovery of element 113, earth-friendly pesticides, and the secrets of a rice-killing fungal toxin. Enjoy!

Gut bacteria reduces insulin resistance, protects against diabetes

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

Getting a grip on slow but unique shark evolution

Scientists have decoded the genomes of two species of shark, bringing the grand total of sequenced shark genomes to three.

Trigger region found for epileptic absence seizures

A mouse model shows that absence seizures are triggered by faulty connections between the cortex and fast-spiking neurons in the striatum.

Hippocampal memory isn’t all about place cells

Scientists have found evidence that hippocampal memories of experience are not stored in place cells.

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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

Mar

29

ERRg predicts atrial fibrillation and hidden comorbidity

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)

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

by adam phillips | Interviews

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

Replicating opossum heart regeneration to help fight cardiovascular disease

by adam phillips | Research Animation

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

Dec

26

Spacey, nerdy nights in Tokyo

Spacey, nerdy nights in Tokyo

by kelly | What's Up With Us

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

Dec

16

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

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

by adam phillips | Interviews

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

Hibernation-like state can protect kidneys during heart surgery

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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

Crying baby? Science says walk, then sit

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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!

Cyborg cockroaches to the rescue!

by masataka sasabe | Hot Off the Press

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

Ethanol pretreated soil protects plants from drought

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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

Marsupial heart regeneration ability given to mice

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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

How an herbal medicine protects against inflamed bowels

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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

Robotic AI helps efficient growth of replacement organs

by masataka sasabe | Hot Off the Press

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

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

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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

Palaeospondylus: mystery of vertebrate evolution solved

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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

Xist knockout rescues miscarriages in mice

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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

A new type of cell death discovered in fly guts

by masataka sasabe | Hot Off the Press

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

Diagnosing fetal heart disease benefits from explanatory AI

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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

Chaos theory provides hints for controlling the weather

by jens wilkinson | Hot Off the Press

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

Robotic exoskeleton learns to help people stand up

by jens wilkinson | Hot Off the Press

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

Feb

25

Nanocarrier spray: better crops without genetic modification

Nanocarrier spray: better crops without genetic modification

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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

Introducing Nikola, the emotional android boy

by adam phillips | Featured, Hot Off the Press

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

Green hydrogen production for fuel cells and fertilizers

by adam phillips | Featured, Hot Off the Press

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

Social contact-seeking behavior and loneliness in the brain

by adam phillips | Featured, Hot Off the Press

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.

Feb

4

New treatment assembles cancer drug inside the body

New treatment assembles cancer drug inside the body

by masataka sasabe | Featured, Hot Off the Press

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

Jan

27

New lab-grown retinal sheets almost ready for clinical trials

New lab-grown retinal sheets almost ready for clinical trials

by adam phillips | Featured, Hot Off the Press

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

Jan

17

The free-energy principle explains neural network behavior

The free-energy principle explains neural network behavior

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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

Jan

13

How does gravity affect antimatter?

How does gravity affect antimatter?

by jens wilkinson | Featured, Hot Off the Press

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

Dec

23

Super-thin wearable electronics just got more flexible

Super-thin wearable electronics just got more flexible

by adam phillips | Featured, Hot Off the Press

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

Cassava engineered to produce healthier tapioca starch

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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?

Diazoxide pills for Alzheimer’s disease?

by adam phillips | Featured, Hot Off the Press

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

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

by amanda alvarez | Hot Off the Press

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

Kleefstra syndrome in mice reversed after birth

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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

A faster and more sensitive antibody test for COVID-19

by masataka sasabe | Hot Off the Press

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

Opossums are the first genome edited marsupials

by masataka sasabe | Featured, Hot Off the Press

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

Jul

19

Methylation mutation directly linked to autism

Methylation mutation directly linked to autism

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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

Melatonin in mice, circadian rhythms, and daily torpor

by amanda alvarez | Hot Off the Press

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

Why (mouse) mothers take risks to protect their infants

by adam phillips | Featured, Hot Off the Press

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

Dietary amino acid linked to cancer in flies

by masataka sasabe | Hot Off the Press

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

Cancer cells killed with artificial glycosylated metalloenzyme

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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

RIKEN at a glance

We’ve just gotten our order of RIKEN at a Glance booklets back from the printers, and they look fantastic. Follow the link to download your electronic copy now!

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.

Boosting betaine may be a treatment for schizophrenia

Supplementing model mice with glycine betaine (trimethylglycine), a compound originally derived from beets, can alleviate symptoms of schizophrenia.

Centennial RIKEN Research

???This Spring we’ve put together a special centennial issue of RIKEN Research ???

Something smells fishy: categorizing odors in the brain

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

Cassava engineered to produce healthier tapioca starch

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

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.