Imaging data from Japan’s Himawari-8 and -9 meteorological satellites have been successfully used to monitor temporal changes in Venus’ cloud-top temperature, revealing unseen patterns in the temperature structure of various waves. A team led by the University of Tokyo collated infrared images from 2015–25 to estimate brightness temperatures on day to year scales. The results demonstrate that meteorological satellites can serve as additional eyes to access the Venusian atmosphere from space and complement future observations from planetary missions and ground-based telescopes.

A new study of over 3,000 Japanese firms reveals that companies often set overly ambitious earnings targets after previously missing their goals—an effort to restore investor confidence. This strategic move, known as “organizational impression management,” helps firms manage market perceptions despite the risk of repeated failure. The research also finds that institutional investors, analysts, and board diversity can temper this behavior, offering fresh insight into corporate communication and investor relations.

Mouse models are central to drug development, including treatments for neurological disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease. In a new eNeuro publication, researchers from OIST’s Neuronal Rhythms in Movement Unit introduce a mouse motion capture method which provides very high-resolution measurement of mouse movement. Their marker-based approach avoids the need for extensive data processing with AI or machine learning, and can capture high-quality data on complex movement, such as running or climbing.

A Nagoya University team has overcome one of the key limitations of X-ray technology by making the mirror using only a single-crystal piezoelectric thin wafer instead of the usual two-part structure. Using this technique, they changed X-ray beam size by more than 3,400 times. This improved dynamic range massively improves both imaging and analysis, improving the efficiency of advanced techniques and massively enhancing workflows.

A group of researchers have observed images from the James Webb Space Telescope. The images were like a time machine, allowing the researchers to understand how these galaxies built their disks over history and compare this to how our own Milky Way formed. 

Researchers at the University of Tokyo have demonstrated that the strength of synaptic connections in the cerebral cortex varies during sleep, influenced by synaptic learning rules and neuronal activity. Using simulations, they identified conditions under which “sleep learning” may occur. These findings could deepen our understanding of the relationship between sleep and learning/memory and help elucidate the mechanisms of brain disorders linked to sleep disturbances.

Osaka Metropolitan University researchers have developed an AI model that can detect the presence of fatty liver disease from chest X-ray images. 

To make advances in using microbes to sustainably produce materials, it is necessary to find new molecular tools, or “enzymes” — but this is labor intensive. A Kobe University team now developed a technique that can classify thousands of candidates and a workflow that can evaluate representatives overnight, in what may become a fundamental technology for biomanufacturing.

A new fossil discovery technique reveals that squids originated and rapidly became abundant, diverse, and dominant in the oceans 100 million years ago, reshaping our understanding of ancient marine ecosystems.