When AI powered prosthetic arms that move autonomously become widespread, understanding how people feel about them and accept them will be crucial. In this study, we used virtual reality to simulate a situation in which a participant’s own arm was replaced by a robotic prosthetic arm, and examined how the prosthesis movement speed affects embodiment, including body ownership, the sense of agency, usability, and social impressions of the robot such as competence and discomfort. We found that both overly fast and overly slow movements reduced body ownership and usability, whereas a moderate speed close to natural human reaching, with a movement duration of about one second, produced the most positive impressions.

Kyoto, Japan -- Cell and gene therapies, or CGT, have come a long way since they were first introduced. In the last few decades, both cell therapy -- the transplantation of living cells -- and gene therapy -- the use of genetic material to modify cell functions -- have been increasingly incorporated into clinical practice.

Various challenges and advances have propelled the use of CGT in innovative treatments for diseases that had otherwise proven difficult to conquer. Yet progress has been uneven across different therapies and regions. To accelerate CGT innovation and improve access, it is essential to take a comprehensive look at past research achievements and qualitatively evaluate relevant factors.

These challenges motivated a team of researchers at Kyoto University to take a hard look at past data and assess the current standing of cell and gene therapies in cooperation with Arthur D. Little Japan. Using the PubMed and OpenAlex databases, the team accessed over 160,000 papers related to CGT published between 1989 and 2023. They then conducted a bibliometric analysis of the historical development of these therapies, including contributions by region.

The Interactions Collaboration has announced the winning images of the 2025 Global Physics Photowalk. 

Shared e-mopeds are emerging as a solution for medium-distance trips, but do they improve efficiency and equity? A study in Japan found that they cut travel time and distance compared with public transit, especially in lower land-price areas with limited bus and rail service. Yet time-based pricing means these residents often pay more. Researchers recommend revising pricing models and expanding infrastructure to create transport systems that are fairer, more resilient, and more accessible for all.

Next-generation sodium- and potassium-ion batteries offer resource-unconstrained, cost-effective, and sustainable energy storage systems. In a recent review, researchers from Japan redefine the electrode-electrolyte interphase (SEI and CEI) to improve battery stability and performance. By systematically analyzing these overlooked layers, the team demonstrates how controlling interfacial reactions can influence electrochemical performance and safety. Their findings could accelerate the development of the next-generation battery systems for grid storage, electric vehicles, and other energy applications.

Kyoto, Japan -- The enzyme Na⁺-NQR is a sodium pump that drives the respiration of many marine and pathogenic bacteria. Using redox reactions, the process of exchanging electrons between materials, it powers the transportation of sodium ions across the membrane, supporting the growth of the bacteria.

Yet there is a mystery behind this mechanism, as scientists have had trouble understanding exactly how the redox reactions are linked to sodium-pumping. In particular, the lack of structural information on the key intermediate states that form while the enzyme is operating has posed a major challenge; determining these structures is essential to understanding how the pump functions.

This gap in knowledge motivated a team of researchers at Kyoto University to investigate what powers this mysterious sodium pump. Using cryo-electron microscopy performed by co-first author Moe Ishikawa-Fukuda, the team was able to directly capture multiple intermediate structural states of the enzyme as it transformed during operation. They then combined these structural snapshots with molecular dynamics simulations performed by co-first author Takehito Seki.

A newly developed ceramic material shows record-high proton conductivity at intermediate temperatures while remaining chemically stable, report researchers from Japan. Efficient hydrogen-to-electricity conversion is critical for hydrogen-based clean energy technologies, but few materials combine chemical stability with efficient proton conductivity. Thanks to an innovative donor co-doping strategy, the proposed ceramic material features increased proton concentration and mobility, realizing exceptional conductivity and stability under CO₂, O₂, and H₂ environments.

Cognitive impairment, including decreased attention and memory, remains one of the most disabling aspects of schizophrenia, affecting social life of patients. However, no effective treatment has yet been established for it. Now, researchers have investigated the effect of adding brexpiprazole on cognitive function in patients with schizophrenia. The findings revealed that patients with schizophrenia receiving adjunctive brexpiprazole showed a meaningful improvement in information processing speed, without worsening psychiatric symptoms.

Researchers at Niigata University used advanced three-dimensional imaging to reveal how amyloid β deposits spread along blood vessels in the human brain in cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). Analysis of postmortem brain tissue showed that vascular amyloid deposition is most prominent in surface arteries and extends continuously toward deeper vascular branches—a spatial pattern that could not be resolved by conventional two-dimensional pathology— providing new insight into the spatial architecture of amyloid pathology in CAA.

A male fruit fly in a laboratory chamber extends his wings and vibrates them to produce his species' version of a love song. A female fly stays nearby listening. Suddenly, a green light flashes across the chamber for a fraction of a second. The male's song cuts off mid-note and his wings fold. The female, not impressed by the interrupted serenade, walks away. The culprit? An AI system that watched the male begin his courtship dance and shut down his song-producing brain cells. Developed by scientists at Nagoya University and their collaborators from Osaka University and Tohoku University, the AI can watch and recognize animal behaviors and control the specific brain circuits that drive them. Published in Science Advances, the study presents an advanced AI system that can identify which animal performs a behavior in a group and selectively target only that animal’s brain cells during social interactions.