The It Ain't Magic Science Blog

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

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

Evolution of the inner ear: insights from jawless fish

A new story for inner ear evolution based on the developmental patterning found in hagfish, one of two extant jawless vertebrates and a link to the last common ancestor of modern jawed vertebrates.

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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.

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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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Carbon nanotubes, what are they good for?

Kylius Wilkins talks to Urs Frey and his recent success manufacturing carbon nanotubes (CNTs).

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COVID-19: Changing the way we do research

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

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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!

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Finding real rewards in a virtual world

A new study shows that mice who learn to find goals in virtual reality use their hippocampus the same was as in the real world.

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Robotic exoskeleton learns to help people stand up

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

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Gut bacteria could help overcome milk allergy

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

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Winter Hackathon and SupercomputingAsia

Find out what RIKEN R-CCS has been up to!

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Heat used to transform antiskyrmions to skyrmions and back

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

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Atlas of the aging lipidome highlights kidneys and gut bacteria

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

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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 admin | 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 admin | 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 admin | 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.

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.

Read on

Green hydrogen production for fuel cells and fertilizers

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

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Diazoxide pills for Alzheimer’s disease?

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

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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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May

A new imaging biomarker for the aging brain

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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.