Astronomers using ESO’s 8-meter telescope (VLT) have caught the protoplanet AB Aurigae b actively accreting material from its surrounding disk. Its light spectrum resembles that of young stars gathering mass, providing the first direct evidence of material falling onto a protoplanet. This confirms that AB Aurigae b is among the youngest protoplanets observed, still embedded within its birth disk.

Researchers have discovered that reef-building corals use chloride ions, rather than amino acids, to absorb visible light in their light-sensing proteins, called opsins. This unique mechanism allows opsins to switch between UV and visible light sensitivity in a pH-dependent manner, revealing new insights into coral biology and the evolution of animal vision.

This study demonstrated that environment influences autism-like behaviours in genetically predisposed zebrafish. By altering perceived safety and anxiety levels, the study revealed that lack of social behaviour in ube3a mutant zebrafish could be improved, suggesting new therapeutic avenues that focus on environmental adjustments for autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

With just five minutes a day of training in Rei-ho (an ancient practice common amongst samurai), seniors may improve their leg strength and build up muscles essential for independent living.

Researchers Shinjiro Takano, Yuya Hamasaki, and Tatsuya Tsukuda of the University of Tokyo have successfully visualized the geometric structure of growing gold nanoclusters in their earliest stages. During this process, they also successfully “grew” a novel structure of elongated nanoclusters, which they named “gold quantum needles.” Thanks to their responsiveness to light in the near-infrared range, these “needles” could enable much higher-resolution biomedical imaging and more efficient light-energy conversion. The findings were published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

How can we design the spaces inside nanomaterials to make nanosystems more efficient? This is what researchers from the Yamauchi-Asakura Laboratory at Nagoya University are working on—becoming architects for materials at the atomic level. They specialize in “Nanoarchitectonics”, the design and control of nanospaces inside inorganic materials, such as metal and carbon, to create high-performance materials for batteries, sensors, and other clean technology applications. 

Astronomers using ALMA have made the first spatially resolved detection of protostellar jets and outflows in the Milky Way’s outer region. Observations of Sh 2-283-1a SMM1 reveal episodic ejections every 900–4,000 years. The results show that while star formation follows universal physics, the region’s lower silicon-to-carbon ratio offers rare chemical insights into how stars formed under early cosmic conditions.

The study reported the development of a transparent mesoporous tungsten trioxide (WO₃) film that achieved efficient and durable solar-driven water splitting. A unique in situ template-carbonization strategy, the material maintains crystallinity, optical transparency, and stability under neutral conditions were optimized. This enhances photocurrent generation, oxygen evolution efficiency, and long-term performance, offering a scalable route for tandem photoelectrochemical devices and advancing the prospects of sustainable hydrogen production from sunlight.

There are various ways to create artificial diamonds, but a new method developed by researchers including those at the University of Tokyo yields some extra benefits. By specially preparing samples for conversion to diamond by means of an electron beam, the team found their method can be used to protect organic samples from the damage usually caused by such a beam. This could lead to new and powerful imaging and analytical techniques.