Tokyo faces severe risks due to soil liquefaction, a phenomenon where the ground behaves like a liquid during strong seismic events. To improve existing hazard maps, researchers from Japan developed a new framework that combines extensive borehole data with artificial neural networks. Their model can accurately predict soil properties, producing high-resolution 3D liquefaction hazard maps, helping to improve earthquake risk management in Tokyo and other vulnerable megacities.

Aquaglyceroporin Aqp10, a protein channel for water and glycerol, selectively permeates urea and boric acid due to its unique structural features—report researchers from Japan.  By comparing and modeling molecular pore structures in fish species, the team discovered that bulky amino acid residues reduce the pore size of Aqp10—blocking the transport of certain molecules. This not only explains the mechanism of selective permeability but also provides a framework for predicting functions of uncharacterized aquaglyceroporins.

An ion channel called DmMSL10 functions as a high‑sensitivity touch sensor in the tactile sense of the Venus flytrap, enabling prey touch to be detected and to generate electrical and calcium ion (Ca²⁺) signals that are required for trap closure.

Kyoto, Japan -- Citizen science has allowed regular citizens to participate in data collection as well as expanded biodiversity monitoring. Yet many datasets are still limited to the coverage of certain regions and habitats in particular seasons. In bird research, for example, traditional point‑count surveys often have strict rules regarding the location, timing, and spacing between observation points, making it challenging for citizen volunteers to participate casually.

This inspired Masumi Hisano, formerly of Kyoto University and now at Hiroshima University, to try a more flexible approach by conducting counts whenever and wherever possible, as part of his daily routines. As someone who hates waking up early, Hisano tried to bend the traditional time rules to suit his desired schedule.

"I thought it was a wasted opportunity to not record birds I encounter in daily life, like in the supermarket parking lot or at the train station," says Hisano.

Collaborative research by the University of Tokyo and RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research has led to the development of a new method for simultaneously synthesizing all transfer RNA (tRNA) required for protein synthesis in a reconstituted translation system in vitro.