Peptides are important biological compounds that carry key information for many biological processes. However, accurately reading their sequences has long been a challenge. In a new study, researchers developed a mass-spectrometry-based approach that attaches a coumarin-derived tag to the N-terminus of each peptide, enabling accurate and reliable sequencing of even short peptides, directly from spectral data without relying on protein sequence databases. This helps in identifying novel peptides.

A new fluorescent reporter capable of visualizing biologically active iron and oxygen inside living cells at single-cell resolution has been developed, as reported by researchers from Science Tokyo. Using this new tool, they revealed striking differences in the distribution of iron and oxygen across organs and even between neighboring cells of the same type. This innovation could serve as a platform for studying cancer, liver diseases, neurodegeneration, and aging.

New research shows that the nutritional value of Indian millets includes a rich diversity of lipids, including a previously undetected group that may offer potential health benefits.

New culture system enables the stable, scalable, and low-cost production of clinical-grade intestinal organoids, as reported by researchers from Science Tokyo. Whereas conventional organoid cultures rely on materials and substances unsuitable for clinical use, this innovative strategy uses clinical-grade collagen and good manufacturing practice-compliant reagents/factors and techniques to achieve drastically enhanced growth. The results put us one step closer to organoid-based regenerative therapies for conditions like inflammatory bowel disease.

Researchers at the University of Osaka have developed a quantum mechanical model for concentrated organic radical solutions considering stochastic collisions between molecules. The first-order contribution to intermolecular interactions is averaged to zero by collisional fluctuations, but the second-order term survives and enhances the magnetic susceptibility. These results explain experimental observations of an anomalous increase in the magnetic susceptibility at the solid-to-fluid transition that cannot be predicted by conventional theories.

An Osaka Metropolitan University-led research team studied the wall structure of MCM-48 and the Ar adsorption process in the mesopores of MCM-48 using MEM analysis of in situ powder XRD intensities recorded during gas adsorption to show that the adsorption process can be monitored through variations in the electron density distribution. 

Discovering new catalysts to power hydrogen production often involves a time-consuming trial-and-error process. Not only that, but materials scientists often have to comb through troves of scientific data and experimental data. Yet these days may be over thanks to a new AI-powered platform that enables researchers to identify new catalysts for methane pyrolysis— a promising technology for producing hydrogen with lower carbon emissions.

Cryo-electron transmission microscopy helps scientists observe biological specimens in a state that closely resembles their natural environment, especially those dispersed in water. But applying the technique outside of aqueous systems has proved relatively difficult. However, researchers at Tohoku University have created a new technique that enabled cryo-TEM to be applied to frozen methanol, opening a new avenue for studying materials in a wider variety of natural states.

Mechanoluminescent materials, which convert mechanical energy into light, are great for self-powered sensors. However, they have traditionally been made using rare earth materials or complex material compositions, making them relatively expensive to manufacture. Now, a research team has developed a zinc oxide material that not only possesses highly sensitive mechanoluminescence but is made from cheap, earth-abundant materials.

Understanding how galaxies formed requires studying the neutral gas that fueled early star formation, but detecting this component is difficult. In a recent study, an international research team leveraged measurements from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array to detect a direct tracer of neutral gas in star-forming galaxies seen as they were 700 to 800 million years after the Big Bang, enabling detailed analysis of their star-forming conditions.