Japanese researchers have developed a human cytokine-based designer enzyme. Relying on their rational design workflow, they demonstrated that proteins can serve as ligands with the same precision as synthetic organic ligands. The resulting designer enzyme maintains its original biological functions while gaining new catalytic abilities.

Kyoto, Japan -- In 1978, cane toads, which are native to South and Central America, were introduced for pest control to Ishigaki island in Okinawa prefecture in Japan. These poisonous toads secrete deadly toxins, killing enough of the predators in their new territories that they have been designated an invasive species.

However, one predator on Ishigaki has proven resistant to the cane toads' poison. The crested serpent eagle, common across Asia but considered critically endangered in Japan where only about 200 individuals reside, has been observed feeding on the toads on the island without showing signs of poisoning.

This inspired a team of researchers at Kyoto University to investigate the crested serpent eagle's potential toxin resistance to the cane toad's toxins. Several species that prey on toxin-secreting animals exhibit genetic resistance, particularly in a gene known as ATP1A. These previous findings prompted the team to investigate whether the crested serpent eagle also possesses this genetic resistance, and to explore the evolutionary background of this trait.

Kyoto, Japan -- Black holes embody the ultimate abyss. They are the most powerful sources of gravity in the universe, capable of dramatically distorting space and time around them. When disturbed, they begin to "ring" in a distinctive pattern known as quasinormal modes: ripples in space-time that produce detectable gravitational waves.

In events like black hole mergers, these waves can be strong enough to detect from Earth, offering a unique opportunity to measure a black hole's mass and shape. However, precise calculation of these vibrations through theoretical methods has proven a major challenge, particularly for vibrations that are rapidly weakening.

This inspired a team of researchers at Kyoto University to try a new method of calculating the vibrations of black holes. The scientists applied a mathematical technique called the exact Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin, or exact WKB analysis to carefully trace the behavior of waves from a black hole out into distant space. While this method has long been studied in mathematics, its application to physics -- especially to black holes -- is still a newly developing area.

To understand how DJ-1 hydrolyzes cyclic 3-phosphoglyceric anhydride—a highly reactive, toxic cellular metabolite—researchers from Japan performed molecular simulations and biochemical assays, including mutational analyses, confirming DJ-1’s role in the pathogenesis of hereditary Parkinson’s disease. A mutant DJ-1 causes recessive Parkinson’s disease, but the molecular mechanism of this process has not been well studied. By revealing the amino acids involved in its catalytic activity, this work lays foundation for future functional studies on DJ-1.

Wastewater surveillance at treatment plants offers a low-cost, early warning method for detecting COVID-19. Researchers in Japan conducted an economic evaluation of a system for long-term care facilities that combines wastewater data with clinical testing thresholds to guide timely interventions. Their findings show that this approach could generate significant healthcare savings and improve outbreak response. The study supports wastewater surveillance as a scalable, cost-effective strategy for enhancing pandemic preparedness in vulnerable populations.

A researcher at Osaka Metropolitan University investigated the active travel effects of an mHealth app that incentivizes daily walking. The results revealed that the mHealth app’s incentives to exchange train tickets increased users’ daily walking steps by 626.2 steps/day for five months.

A 2024 viewpoint led by researchers at Tohoku University’s AIMR reveals a strong correlation between hardness and ionic conductivity in NASICON-type solid electrolytes. By analyzing literature data, they identified relative density as a key factor, offering a practical strategy to enhance both properties for safer, high-performance sodium-ion batteries.

Researchers from The University of Osaka have used a miniature heater positioned over a nano-sized opening to gently unzip DNA’s double helix into a single strand for quick, efficient analysis. The device enables detection of longer DNA strands than before while using less power and improving accuracy. The technology could be used in handheld medical devices, helping doctors to diagnose disease and tailor treatments based on patients’ genes.