A new recipe, or design guidelines, for self-strengthening muscle-like hydrogel has been developed through strategic integration of computational, information, and experimental research. The resulting gel exhibits rapid reinforcement under mechanical stress with improved stability.

The ascidian Ciona (a genus of sea squirts) begins metamorphosis several tens of minutes after its larvae attach to rocks or other surfaces, transforming from larvae into adults. Researchers at University of Tsukuba have discovered that Ciona measures the time between attachment and the onset of metamorphosis by accumulating a substance called cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), which is responsible for signal transduction within cells.

The azuki bean beetle is a common pest of stored beans and peas. Researchers at Kyushu University have found that when beetles infected with Wolbachia bacteria are exposed to elevated temperature and carbon dioxide they tend to produce larger eggs to enhance the survivability of their offspring. Interestingly, these larger eggs gave rise only to male larvae.

The low body temperatures observed during hibernation are associated with lower metabolism. The conventional view in biology has been that body temperature is simply a consequence of metabolic activity, and that as metabolism lowers, body temperature decreases in parallel. Researchers recently discovered that low body temperature directly regulates glucose metabolism in hypothermic mice, challenging the theory of metabolic regulation of body temperature during hibernation and torpor, a less intense form of hibernation.

The decline in oral function can result in poor diet balance, affecting daily physical activities in older adults. However, its association with overall health remains unknown. To address this, researchers from Japan investigated the association between oral function and blood test results in older adults. The findings revealed that adults with blood test results outside the normal range had low oral function, indicating that poor oral health may increase the risk of developing lifestyle-related diseases.

While automatized vocabulary knowledge has been shown to strongly predict general listening ability, its role in speech production remains unknown. Now, researchers have compared conscious recognition of simple word meanings (declarative knowledge) with instant, automatic access to contextualized word meanings (automatized knowledge) in Japanese students learning English as a second language. The findings revealed that automatized vocabulary knowledge better predicts fluency, and practicing vocabulary in real-life contexts may help learners speak more smoothly and confidently.

Households, cars, and factories generate heat, much of which goes to waste. Likewise, the increasing usage of solar panels means heat needs to be stored at large amounts for longer periods of time. Thus, thermal storage is critical for carbon-neurtrality. A collaboration between Tohoku University and Japan Atomic Energy Agency has developed nanosheets of layered manganese dioxide that can store heat even below 100°C.

 Researchers from The University of Osaka have identified key genetic mutations linked to extracranial arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), a rare and potentially serious vascular disorder. They have revealed that these mutations activate the RAS/RAF/MEK signaling pathway and that the MAP4K4 gene may drive pathological angiogenesis. This may mean that existing cancer drugs that target the same pathway could be effective for AVM treatment, potentially paving the way for novel therapies.