UOsaka and MIT scientists revealed that the motor proteins KIF18A and CENP-E work together to align chromosomes during mitosis. Cancer cells with reduced CENP-E levels are especially sensitive to KIF18A inhibition, and dual inhibition of both proteins leads to efficient cell death. The discovery offers new insights into chromosome mechanics and a potential strategy for targeted cancer therapy.

Scientists used molecular simulations to reveal how polymer chains adhere to alumina surfaces. Adhesion depends on both polymer chemistry and surface termination, with different responses before and after yielding. These insights clarify metal–plastic bonding mechanisms and offer guidelines for designing stronger, lighter, and more sustainable hybrid materials for use in transportation.

Summers on the islands in Okinawa Prefecture are hot and humid. Today, we have AC systems – so how did Okinawans throughout history manage to stay cool and comfortable? One answer lies in the local design tradition. Houses are low and open plan behind thick coral or limestone walls, capturing a fresh breeze while staying protected from typhoon gales, and Okinawans have traditionally been dressed in Bashofu textiles. Bashofu kimonos stay both dry and cool while being remarkably soft, despite being woven from banana fibers which are notorious for their stiffness.

Recently, scientists have turned to Bashofu to learn what makes these sustainably produced textiles so well-adapted for comfort in the subtropics. In a paper now published in Scientific Reports, researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) have produced a comprehensive overview of how exactly the Bashofu materials and techniques alter the structural properties of the banana plant fibers to achieve the desired soft, durable, and breathable fabric.

X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) provides valuable information about a material’s properties and electronic states. However, it requires extensive expertise and manual effort for conventional analysis. Now, researchers from Japan have developed a novel artificial intelligence-based approach for analyzing XAS data that can enable rapid, autonomous, and object material identification. This novel approach outperforms the previous studies in terms of higher accuracy, accelerating the development of new materials.

Okayama University of Science (OUS) in Japan and Minghsin University of Science and Technology (MUST) in Taiwan have signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to establish a double degree program in semiconductor studies. The agreement, building on a 40-year partnership between the two institutions, will allow students to earn bachelor’s degrees from both universities. Under the program, students begin at OUS to learn semiconductor fundamentals and language skills before advancing to MUST, home of the world’s first Semiconductors School. The initiative aims to cultivate globally minded engineers and strengthen industry–academia collaboration in Okayama and Taiwan. At the signing ceremony held on October 23 at OUS, leaders from both universities and semiconductor companies expressed strong support for developing a joint talent base that will contribute to regional and global semiconductor innovation.

Glycans are important complex carbohydrates found on cell surfaces that serve crucial roles in cell-to-cell communication, structure, and protection. They are attached to many proteins in the body, and their attachment differs protein to protein. Researchers aimed to investigate the selectivity of a specific, cancer-related enzyme, N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase-V (GnT-V or MGAT5). GnT-V is often abnormally upregulated and can be an indicator of a poor prognosis in cancer diagnoses, with N-glycans individually associated with diseases such as Alzheimer's, emphysema, diabetes and cancer. Understanding why and how GnT-V selects substrates may offer therapeutic solutions for diseases involving this enzyme.

Sir2, an enzyme belonging to sirtuins, has been effectively involved in the deacetylation of proteins. A tandem allosteric effect of reactant and product is responsible for the efficient deacetylation cycle of the Sir2 enzyme, reveal researchers from Science Tokyo. This finding reveals a new target for modulating Sir2, an enzyme that is essential for many biological processes, including aging, metabolic regulation, and cancer suppression. This finding could potentially lead to new therapeutic applications, including novel cancer treatments.

An international team led by Japan’s National Institute of Polar Research discovered that large-scale East Antarctic ice loss around 9,000 years ago was amplified by a “cascading positive feedback” between meltwater and ocean circulation. Sediment records and ocean–climate modeling show that meltwater from other Antarctic regions strengthened warm deep-water inflow, accelerating ice-shelf collapse and inland thinning. The finding highlights how Antarctic ice melt can self-reinforce under ongoing global warming.

Researchers may have unlocked a more sustainable and affordable way for producing key ingredients for everyday materials such as plastics, clothing fibers, and insulation foams. The secret: lead dioxide. 

Scientists at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, have discovered how a gene-regulating protein forms tiny liquid-like droplets inside the cell nucleus (the compartment that stores and manages DNA) to guard against cancer. Their study, published in Nature Communications, shows that these protein droplets act as control centers that keep tumor-suppressor genes switched on.