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.

Introducing Nikola, the emotional android boy


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

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.

Gene regulator that allows plant rehydration after drought


New genetic insights into the plant rehydration process: this is why your plants don’t die after you forgot to water them.

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!

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.

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NEW: A better way of predicting tsunamis!

Opossum hearts hint at new ways of fighting cardiovascular disease

Artificial intelligence improves the diagnosis of congenital heart defects before birth

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The joys of computational mass spectrometry


Scientists have developed a new automated computational mass spectrometry system that can search an organism’s entire metabolome for as-yet-unknown metabolites (potential drugs).

Transgenic plants 🌱🌿on acid survive without water


Scientists designed transgenic plants that survive drought-like conditions by bumping up acetic acid production only when water is scarce.

Blocking obesity with a protein-sugar combination


Discovery of an enzyme that prevents obesity in mice through glycosylation of a protein involved fat-cell differentiation.

Robotic researcher to the rescue


Masaki Watabe talks about automated robotic researchers, future robot rule, and scientific philosophy.

A new type of cell death discovered in fly guts


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

Superfly flight simulator helps unravel navigation in the brain


Optical imaging neural activity in flies as they use a flight simulator can help us understand how the brain codes navigation.

Opossums are the first genome edited marsupials


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

Introducing Nikola, the emotional android boy


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

Social contact-seeking behavior and loneliness in the brain


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.

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.