Identification of plant species at high risk of extinction in climate-sensitive alpine ecosystems.

Tokyo, Japan – Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have solved a long-standing mystery behind the drainage of liquid from foams. Standard physics models wildly overestimate the height of foams required for liquid to drain out the bottom. Through careful observation, the team found that the limits are set by the pressure required to rearrange bubbles, not simply push liquid through a static set of obstacles. Their approach highlights the importance of dynamics to understanding soft materials.

 Assistant Professor Daiki Tajiri and Professor Shozo Kawamura of the Machine Dynamics Laboratory, Technology Department of Mechanical Engineering, Toyohashi University have developed a simple method that identifies the rigidity deterioration of a building’s columns based on only the frequency response of force measured using an inertial shaker installed on the top floor of the building. This method enables the diagnosis of abnormalities in the entire building without requiring acceleration sensors and other equipment on multiple floors, as in the case of conventional methods; in fact, it requires only force sensors. The research results are published in the international academic journal Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing.

Researchers at Nagoya University in Japan have discovered that Cepheid variable stars in our neighboring galaxy, the Small Magellanic Cloud, are moving in opposing directions along two distinct axes. They found that stars closer to Earth move towards the northeast, while more distant stars move southwest. This newly discovered movement pattern exists alongside a northwest-southeast opposing movement that the scientists previously observed in massive stars.

Scientists from Kyushu University have identified the long-sought “orange gene” behind ginger fur in domestic cats—a deletion mutation in a gene on the X chromosome. This discovery explains why most orange cats are male while tortoiseshell and calico cats are female, and reveals a new genetic mechanism for orange coloring. The study solves a decades-old mystery in feline genetics, with their findings published in Current Biology on May 15, 2025.