Topics
Two genes that regulate how much we dream
An international research team led by RIKEN BDR has identified a pair of genes that regulate how much REM (dream) and non-REM sleep an animal experiences.
Flies use fecal deposits as pheromones
Bioluminescence imaging of fly brains reveals neurons sensitive to fly poo laced with pheromones (you can see the fecal “landmark” in the dotted circle). Need we say more?
Hippocampal memory isn’t all about place cells
Scientists have found evidence that hippocampal memories of experience are not stored in place cells.
Summer fun: how plants beat the heat
Scientists have discovered a gene that allows plants to cope with extreme heat by changing the composition of chloroplast membranes.
Freedom from fear ?♀️
Researchers discover a dopaminergic circuit in the brain that allows fear associations to disappear when there isn’t anything to be afraid of anymore.
Blue gene regulation helps plants respond properly to light
Blue light alters some gene expression in plants by changing the transcription start sites to downstream locations.
Out on a limb: the many ‘brains’ of the octopus
Learn how (neurologically) cool octopus arms are (as if you didn’t already know).
Mutation links bipolar disorder to mitochondrial disease
ANT1 mutations found in bipolar disease that affect mitochondria lead to hyperexcitable serotonergic neuronal activity in the brain.
My science communication journey in Tokyo
New contributor and nuclear physicist Sarah Naimi talks about her recent experience in science communication at a recent scicom event in Tokyo.
Gene linked to intellectual ability affects memory replay in mice
Scientists have discovered a gene in mice that allows memory replay at rest, a process necessary for forming long-lasting memories in mice.
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.
Mutation protects against Alzheimer’s disease in mice
Scientists discover a deletion mutation that reduces amyloid-beta plaque formation in Alzheimer’s disease model mice.
Plant peptide spells relief from salty stress
Newly discovered plant peptide hormone can be used to protect plants from excessive environmental salt.
Putting E. coli to work for us
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 being sick can create anxiety
Researchers have linked changes in mouse immune-cell metabolism to anxiety-related behavior and alterations in brain chemistry.
Plant hormone combats dehydration
Scientists show that CLE25 is a plant hormone that travels from roots to leaves and helps close stomata in times of dehydration stress.
Heat shock system helps dried up bug come back to life
An international collaboration has determined that cooption of the Heat Shock Factor (HSF) gene system is what allows larvae of the sleeping chironomid to be able to survive severe desiccation.
In living color: imaging the brain with synthetic bioluminescence
A new way to image the brain from outside the head using bioluminescence.
Deep-brain exploration with nanomaterials
A new way to optogenetically activate neurons deep in the brain using infrared light and upconversion nanoparticles. It’s non-invasive!
Running away from carbon dioxide: the terminal connection
Even fish want to avoid carbon dioxide. Now we know that they can because of chemosensation and the Terminal Nerve.
Rainbow engineering to make the brain glow
Bar talk about tinkering with bioluminescent molecules from jellyfish, corals, and algae, figuring out how they work, and making them more useful for brain science.
Geostationary satellite enables better precipitation and flood predictions
Data from the Himawari-8 geosynchronous satellite was used in weather simulations to improve forecasts of sudden precipitation and tropical storm development.
Clean and green: a moss that removes lead (Pb) from water
Scientists show that the moss Funaria hygrometrica can remove harmful lead from water when in the protonema stage of development.
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.
Leaky plants bad for drought resistance
The KAI2 receptor for compounds found in smoke helps plants retain water and survive during drought.
Helping the body clock keep its cool
Two parallel temperature-responsive mechanisms ensure that circadian rhythms are not skewed by changes in temperature
The stars align
The stars align. That’s what you say, when things work out perfectly. In the case of an eclipse, of course, it’s not stars that align but rather the moon and sun.
What’s that smell? The advantage of sniffing
Rhythmic sniffing boosts phase-coded neuronal signals in the mouse olfactory bulb that allow odors to be identified.
Quantum dots light up cancer with a little help
Researchers have found a small connecting protein that can help make quantum dot-based probes for biomedical imaging.
Most precise measurement ever of proton magnetic moment
Using a sophisticated setup, scientists have made the most precise measurement to date of the proton magnetic moment.
Proton and antiproton still seem identical
Using a novel two-particle measurement method, scientists have measured the magnetic moment of the antiproton at a precision 350 times higher than any previous measurement.
Microcolumns: elementary neuronal units that carpet the (mouse) brain
A hexagonal lattice organizes major cell types in the cerebral cortex, with similar cells synchronizing their activity in microcolumns.
Jupiter’s volcano-powered auroral lights
A collaborative effort used data from NASA’s Juno spacecraft to explain the transient auroras found on Jupiter.
Hepatoma (liver cancer) blocked by a sugar look-a-like
A sugar (fucose) analog can prevent liver cancer (hepatoma) from invading healthy liver cells.
Random movements help color-detecting cells form the proper pattern
Scientists have used a mathematical model to explain why zebrafish cone cells in the eye are arranged in a specific pattern in all individuals.
Visualizing chick-brain morphogenesis
A new statistical-based method provides insight into the morphogenesis of developing organs.
Skin-like wearable electronics
Sensors made from stretchable nanomesh allow skin to breathe naturally while continuously monitoring patient health.
Solar cells you can put in the wash
Scientists have developed ultra-thin photovoltaic solar cells that can be incorporated into fabric and even washed.
Learning and unlearning to fear: The two faces of noradrenaline
Fear association and unlearning fear association require different populations of noradrenaline neurons in the locus coeruleus.
New artificial skin helps avoid animal testing
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.
Social novelty in the brain: haven’t I seen you someplace before?
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.
FABP4: A preschool-aged biomarker for autism
Reduced FABP4 was found in preschool-aged children with autism spectrum disorder, making it a potential new biomarker for the condition.
Microbial infections are a parasitic plant’s dream
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?
Gut bacteria double team worsens symptoms of multiple sclerosis
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.
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.
Photosynthetic bacteria spin spider silk for the masses
A little genetic engineering and a special recipe allows photosynthetic bacteria to mass-produce super lightweight spider silk for use in manufacturing.
Blood cell mutations linked to leukemia are inevitable
Researchers show that blood cell mutations increase with age identify risk factors for developing leukemia in Japanese and European populations.
Organic nitrogen in soil helps crop growth
Scientists used a multi-omics analysis to show that soil solarization helps crops grow because it increases organic nitrogen in the soil.
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Decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic
COVID-19 series — installment #2: RIKEN CBS Unit Leader Rei Akaishi talks about government decision-making during the pandemic.
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Confronting a string of epidemics including COVID-19
COVID-19 series — installment #1: RIKEN Executive Director Shigeo Koyasu talks about epidemics and what a good response looks like.
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Next stop: clinical hair regeneration
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.
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Godzilla-sized zooplankton for better aquafarming
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.
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Electric rays to help us map the ocean floor
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.
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Bacterial drug resistance studied by robotic E. coli evolution
Experimentally evolving E. coli under pressure from a large number of antibiotics was able to identify constraints underlying evolved drug resistance.