Tokyo, Japan – Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have used an evolutionary algorithm to identify optimal shapes for ultra-thin, bio-inspired corrugated airfoils, the two-dimensional cut-throughs of wings. Lightweight membrane-like wings are a strong contender for use in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in thin atmospheres, like on Mars, and in UAV miniaturization. By using a “zero-thickness” model, they were able to focus on the effect of the airfoil corrugation pattern without the influence of a wing’s leading-edge thickness and shape. They discovered designs which were optimized for minimal drag or maximal lift.

Plasticorals, the latest type of plastiglomerate to be described, is created when polymers from household plastic melt and seep into the skeletal pores of coral rubble. Found on beaches throughout the subtropical island of Okinawa, Japan, including within a protected natural park, they are a lasting reminder of human interaction with these threatened ecosystems and may pose a distinct chemical and physical threat to corals and their reef habitats.

Nighttime light exposure may worsen sleep in people with schizophrenia, according to a study of 225 outpatients. Researchers at Fujita Health University found that higher nighttime illuminance was linked to lower sleep efficiency and total sleep time, as well as longer time to fall asleep and more nighttime wakefulness. The associations were detected using objective sleep measurements, while patients’ self-reported sleep quality showed no significant relationship with nighttime light exposure during sleep. 

Passive muscle stiffness is a risk factor for muscle strain injuries. Stretching, heat, and vibration have been evaluated on superficial muscles, but approaches for decreasing stiffness in deeper muscles remain unclear. In a recent study, researchers from Japan showed that 10 minutes of ultrasound stimulation can reduce stiffness in a deep calf muscle called the soleus, hinting at a promising non-invasive strategy for managing deep muscle stiffness, with potential future application in sports injury prevention.

Magnetic reconnection, a phenomenon in which magnetic fields in a plasma rapidly rearrange and release energy, is thought to drive explosive cosmic events such as solar flares. In a recent study, researchers from Japan used high-power lasers to recreate this process under controlled conditions and track its evolution. Their results showed that, despite substantially different plasma conditions, reconnection proceeded at a similar rate, suggesting that this rate is primarily governed by local physics in the reconnection region

A team of researchers including those from the University of Tokyo spotted a rare kind of planet that’s unusually hot and eccentric. TOI-1355 b orbits its star TOI-1355, which is also much hotter than our sun, in a strange way and incredibly quickly at around two Earth days. This unusual orbit could provide a rare opportunity to study this class of planet and how they move and evolve. But the evolving orbit of the planet means it won’t be possible to observe it after around 2033. 

An Osaka Metropolitan University-led research team investigated the prevalence and characteristics of mcr-positive Enterobacteriaceae in retail meat in Thailand following the national ban on prophylactic colistin use in food producing animals.

Cells rely on complex signaling networks in which different molecular pathways communicate with one another. Small GTPases act as molecular switches in these networks, controlling diverse cellular processes such as intracellular transport and cell morphogenesis. Although crosstalk between different families of small GTPases is established in animal cells, whether and how such crosstalk occurs in plants has remained largely unknown.

A research team led by Associate Professor Emi Ito and Professor Takashi Ueda at the National Institute for Basic Biology (NIBB), together with collaborators at Ochanomizu University, Kyoto Prefectural University, Saitama University, Nagoya University, and RIKEN, has now uncovered a molecular mechanism that connects two distinct types of small GTPases in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. The study was published in Nature Plants.

The researchers identified a protein called REAP1/SWAP70 that links RAB5, a small GTPase involved in intracellular membrane trafficking, with ROP7, a member of the plant-specific ROP (Rho of Plants) family of small GTPases involved in processes such as cell morphogenesis. Their findings reveal a previously unknown RAB5–REAP1–ROP7 signaling pathway and show that this pathway plays an important role in normal pollen development.