From medicine to agriculture and aquaculture, bacteriophages are poised to have a huge global impact. As viruses which target only bacterial cells, they hold promise as an alternative to antibiotics, overcoming increasing issues around antibiotic resistance. However, the size, complexity and growth conditions of phages make them difficult to study, limiting progress in the field. Now in Science Advances, researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) and University of Otago describe the bacteriophage Bas63 in unprecedented detail, supporting new mechanistic understanding into how these viruses function.

A research team at Hosei University and the University of Tokyo has achieved the world’s first stable production of edamame in an artificial light-type plant factory. Using the NFT hydroponic method, yields surpassed open-field cultivation while enhancing sugar and isoflavone content. This breakthrough enables year-round production of high-quality, nutritious edamame in diverse environments from urban buildings to deserts and even outer space, marking a significant step toward sustainable food systems and healthier diets.

Researchers have recorded hundreds of incidents of narwhal interaction with underwater recording devices, suggesting passive monitoring is not as non-invasive as previously assumed.

Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization (ToMMo) has optimized how to run a large-scale genome analysis study over ten years – and they are now sharing their innovative techniques as a valuable resource to advance genome research.

Scientists at The University of Osaka developed a new 3D culture scaffold by integrating the strong cell-adhesive domain of laminin-511 into a clinically used fibrin gel, creating a chimeric protein called Chimera-511. This laminin-functionalized fibrin gel supports efficient 3D expansion of human iPS cells while maintaining pluripotency. As a chemically defined, xeno-free material, it offers a promising alternative to Matrigel and a potential platform for clinically applicable organoids and regenerative therapies.

A research team from the Cognitive Neurotechnology Unit and the Visual Perception and Cognition Laboratory, Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Toyohashi University of Technology, investigated human behavior and comfort when handing over a package to an autonomous mobile delivery robot while walking—an interaction envisioned for logistics in future smart cities. The results showed that people tend to feel more comfortable when the robot approaches them more closely, whereas they tend to feel discomfort when the robot stays farther away. This tendency was particularly pronounced when the package being carried was heavy. On the other hand, when the robot came close, participants often slowed down their walking speed and sometimes stopped momentarily, exhibiting brief hesitation. These findings suggest that humans may perceive robots as “helpful partners” rather than mere machines, and that appropriate approach distances and motion designs are essential for achieving comfortable human–robot collaboration. The study was published online in the International Journal of Social Robotics on October 20, 2025.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12369-025-01329-z

A NIMS research team has developed an automated high-throughput system capable of generating datasets from a single sample of a superalloy used in aircraft engines. The system successfully produced an experimental dataset containing several thousand records—each consisting of interconnected processing conditions, microstructural features and resulting yield strengths (referred to as “Process–Structure–Property datasets” below)—in just 13 days. Datasets are generated over 200 times faster than when using conventional methods. The system’s ability to rapidly produce large-scale, comprehensive datasets has the potential to significantly accelerate data-driven materials design. This research was published in Materials & Design, an international scientific journal, on June 20, 2025.

Motor imagery electroencephalography (MI-EEG) is crucial for brain-computer interfaces, serving as a valuable tool for motor function rehabilitation and fundamental neuroscience research. However, decoding MI-EEG signals is extremely challenging, and traditional methods overlook dependencies between spatiotemporal features and spectral-topological features. Now, researchers have developed a new topology-aware method that effectively captures the deep dependencies across different feature domains of EEG signals, ensuring accurate and robust decoding, paving the way for more brain-responsive technology.

Virtual reality (VR) use is often linked to reduced blinking, raising concerns about dry eye. This study examined the ocular surface during a 30-minute VR gaming session using a compact imaging system to observe the tear film in real time. Over the session, the tear film’s lipid-layer interference grade increased, indicating thickening of the lipid layer. Under these experimental conditions, this change may be associated with a lower likelihood of dry eye during VR use.