The It Ain't Magic Science Blog

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.

Melatonin in mice, circadian rhythms, and daily torpor

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.

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Robotic AI helps efficient growth of replacement organs

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

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Kleefstra syndrome in mice reversed after birth

Researchers used a postnatal supply of GLP to reverse neural and behavioral symptoms of Kleefstra syndrome in mice!

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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.

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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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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

Aug

Measuring altitude — with clocks?

by jens wilkinson | Drop of science

Measuring altitude using atomic clocks seems like a crazy idea, but it’s already being done at RIKEN in Japan

Aug

The sound of molecules: NMR-inspired music

by adam phillips | Research in Depth, Science Heavy

Science & art: how NMR works and how NMR spectra have been used to compose music based on molecular structures.

Aug

Eve Marder: freeing knowledge, crashing neurons

by admin | Interviews

None of us would get on a plane that had its parts changed in mid-air, says Eve Marder, who has spent her career probing a very specific cluster of crustacean nerve cells. Yet we are all walking around undergoing a constant turnover of cellular parts, and so are the lobsters and crabs Marder studies.

Aug

RIKEN Research Summer issue

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

A quick post to let you know that the Summer issue of RIKEN Research Magazine came out towards the end of June. This issue covers brain evolution, regenerating skin, super-clear synapses, and much much more! Enjoy!

Aug

ESOF and the gimungous telescope

by adam phillips | What's Up With Us

Highlights from the recent EuroScience Open Forum (ESOF) conference held in Manchester (actually, pre-ESOF). Science was everywhere, even out by the sheep

Jun

Call for science-inspired art

by adam phillips | Drop of science, What's Up With Us

A rant about right-brain/left-brain pseudoscience and a call for science-inspired art. Scientists can be artists (and artists can be scientists)!

Jun

Why “nihonium”?

by jens wilkinson | Research Highlight

Kosuke Morita and Kouji Morimoto talked to reporters on Thursday morning about how they came up with name “nihonium” for element 113.

Jun

Nerd Nite comes to Tokyo

by jens wilkinson | What's Up With Us

Jens checks out Nerd Nite in Tokyo — swords and physics and brains oh my!

Jun

RIKEN Research Spring issue is here

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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!

Jun

Organ regeneration in the lab

by jens wilkinson | Interviews, What's Up With Us

Interview with Takashi Tsuji, team leader of the Laboratory for Organ Regeneration at the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology

May

Of mice and NREM: In this brain circuit, memories depend on sleep

by admin | Research Highlight

The parts of the brain responsible for creating a memory must be re-activated during a specific part of the sleep cycle for mice to remember.

Apr

Dear RIKEN: Can you bring frozen animals back to life?

by jens wilkinson | Dear RIKEN

Today we post our first Dear RIKEN question and answer.

Mar

From evolutionary morphology to Godzilla

by adam phillips | Interviews, What's Up With Us

I recently spoke with RIKEN scientist Shigeru Kuratani about evolutionary morphology, sci-fi monsters, the genius of Alien, and more.

Feb

Award-winning 3D images of living cells

by jens wilkinson | Interviews, What's Up With Us

An interview with Yuko Kiyosue, discussing the 3D images of living cells that gained her and her colleagues a recent award.

Jan

Electrolithoautotrophs

by adam phillips | Research in Depth

Learn what electrolithoautotrophs are and how the scientists proved that A. ferrooxidans can use electric potential to fuel growth.

Jan

Element 113: “discovery” or not?

by adam phillips | Drop of science

Recently four new synthetic elements were added to the periodic table. We asked Dr. Morita whether he thinks his team “discovered” or “created” element 113.

Dec

Black smokers and electroecosystems

by adam phillips | Research in Depth

Black smokers are deep-sea hydrothermal vents found in the ocean. Now scientists believe that they may host electroecosystems in which the primary producers use electric currents as their energy source.

Dec

Science communication symposium

by adam phillips | What's Up With Us

Friday I participated in a small symposium that focused on science communication (for institutions in Japan). We discussed using social media as a means to self-publish wow! and amazing! research findings. Here are some of my thoughts about how useful this plays out in Japan.

Dec

RIKEN at a glance

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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!

Dec

About this blog

by adam phillips | What's Up With Us

Read about the purpose of our blog and what we hope to achieve with it.

Dec

Let the blogging begin!

by jens wilkinson | What's Up With Us

Welcome to the It Ain’t Magic science blog! (brought to you by the RIKEN Global Communications Team)

Ultraprecise clocks and the Tokyo Skytree verify Einstein’s theory of relativity

Time measured at the top and bottom of the Tokyo Skytree with ultraprecise clocks has verified the time dilation effect predicted by Einstein.

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Hepatoma (liver cancer) blocked by a sugar look-a-like

A sugar (fucose) analog can prevent liver cancer (hepatoma) from invading healthy liver cells.

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Efficient and durable ultra-thin solar cells

Ultra-thin, flexible, organic solar cells that degrade less than 5 percent after 3,000 hours and an energy conversion ratio of 13%.

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Gray matter volume links symptoms in autism

Low gray matter volume in the posterior superior parietal lobule (pSPL) was found to correlate with specific cognitive and perceptual symptoms of autism.

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A new imaging biomarker for the aging brain

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.

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Award-winning 3D images of living cells

An interview with Yuko Kiyosue, discussing the 3D images of living cells that gained her and her colleagues a recent award.

Read on

May

Thoughts on the genetics of medicinal licorice

by jens wilkinson | Drop of science

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

Apr

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

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

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

Mar

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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Eating a high fat diet without getting obese?

Scientists discover that without innate immune cells in the intestines, eating a high fat diet does not lead to obesity in mice.

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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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Jan

Real webshooters? Synthetic spider silk spun from artificial gland

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

Scientists create a microfluidic device that spins artificial spider silk from spidroins proteins, duplicating silk’s complex molecular structure.

Jan

Omics Omics Omics: Analysis predicts ovarian cancer-treating drug

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

Multi-omics analysis prediction: drugs that inhibit Ras signaling will help prevent tumor formation in serous ovarian cancer.

Dec

First hydride-ion battery that works at room temperature

by adam phillips | Hot Off the Press

Researchers develop a new solid electrolyte that can conduct hydride ions, thus allowing better hydrogen-based batteries and fuel cells.

Nov

Plants to the rescue: cleaning up our dirty soil

by adam phillips | Drop of science

A brief review of phytoremediation and research into how plants can be used to clean the environment.

Nov

Stolen genes used for parasitic mind control

by masataka sasabe | Hot Off the Press

Parasitic horsehair worms evolved to control their praying mantis hosts by stealing their genes (horizontal gene transfer).

Sep

Machine learning contributes to better quantum error correction

by jens wilkinson | Hot Off the Press

Researchers have developed an autonomous method for handling error correction in quantum computing. This will help quantum computers maintain their advantages over standard computers.

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