Zebrafish midline tissues coordinate their growth during embryonic development using a leader-follower strategy described by formation control, as reported by researchers from Japan and the USA. The notochord leads elongation, while adjacent tissues grow and migrate with it in response to fibroblast growth factor gradients, cadherin-2-mediated cell adhesion, and mechanosensory Yap signaling. The researchers could replicate this behavior using a mathematical model, revealing a control theory-based principle for harmonized tissue development in embryos.

Researchers at The University of Osaka have developed a novel technique to enhance the performance and reliability of silicon carbide (SiC) metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices, a key component in power electronics. This breakthrough utilizes a unique two-step annealing process involving diluted hydrogen, to eliminate unnecessary impurities and significantly improve device reliability.

Osaka Metropolitan University researchers have successfully increased the number of oocytes retrieved by revising the timing of ovulation induction in representative rats that show low response to artificial fertilization. 

Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS) in Japan have discovered why smoking tobacco helps people suffering from ulcerative colitis, a chronic disease typified by inflammation of the large intestine. The study shows that smoking produces metabolites that encourage bacteria from the mouth to grow in the large intestines where they trigger an immune response that suppresses the inflammation. These findings imply that protection against ulcerative colitis can be achieved through prebiotics like hydroquinone or probiotic therapy with bacteria like Streptococcus mitis, thus eliminating the need to smoke and all the associated risks for other diseases.

A new analysis by UN University scientists finds that the total human population directly exposed to wildfires rose 40% globally, with 85% of that in Africa, leading to 1.5 million indirect deaths each year. 

Indoles, which form the backbone of many bioactive compounds, are valuable in drug development but are difficult to modify at certain positions. Researchers at Chiba University have developed a cost-effective method using a copper-based catalyst to selectively attach alkyl groups to the C5 position, which has been especially challenging to target. This approach simplifies the synthesis of indole-based precursors and is expected to lead to the development of novel drug candidates in the future.  

Sustained hypoxia affects orthodontic tooth movement (OTM) by altering osteoclast and osteoblast differentiation, report researchers from Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan. Hypoxic conditions resulted in reduced alveolar bone levels after OTM and lower expression of runt-related transcription factor 2 and vascular endothelial growth factor. These findings, observed in a rat model, provide critical insights into the bone remodeling process in OTM under hypoxia.

Four and a half billion years ago Jupiter rapidly grew to its massive size. Its powerful gravitational pull disrupted the orbits of small rocky and icy bodies similar to modern asteroids and comets, called planetesimals. This caused them to smash into each other at such high speeds that the rocks and dust they contained melted on impact and created floating molten rock droplets, or chondrules, that we find preserved in meteorites today. Now, researchers at Nagoya University in Japan and the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) have for the first time determined how these droplets formed and accurately dated the formation of Jupiter based on their findings. Their study, published in Scientific Reports, shows how the characteristics of chondrules, particularly their sizes and the rate at which they cooled in space, are determined by the water contained in the impacting planetesimals. This explains what we observe in meteorite samples and proves that chondrule formation was a result of planet formation.