Precursor transfer RNAs (pre-tRNAs) are early forms of tRNAs that need precise trimming at both ends to become active for protein production. Bacteria and archaea use small enzymes called “HARPs” to achieve this cleavage, but how exactly this happens remains unclear. Now, researchers from Kyushu University have uncovered that HARPs form a star-shaped complex of 12 units, enabling it to perform both 5’ and 3’ end cleavages—conferring it “dual-functionality.”

Adding bile acids as farnesoid X receptor agonists to the culture medium supported the growth and development of unique stem cell-derived hepatic organoids, report researchers from Japan. These three-dimensional liver organoids were capable of sustained, long-term proliferation while retaining hepatocyte-like features. Their findings could have the potential to drive future research on chronic liver disease and result in newer therapeutic approaches to treat it.

Large language models (LLMs) can support clinical decision-making, but local versions often underperform compared to cloud-based ones. Japanese researchers tested whether retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) could enhance a local model’s performance in radiology contrast media consultations. In 100 synthetic cases, the RAG-enhanced model showed no hallucinations, faster responses, and better rankings by AI judges. These results suggest RAG can significantly boost the clinical usefulness of local LLMs while protecting sensitive patient data onsite.

In a significant step towards improving targeted cancer therapy, researchers from Japan have developed a novel nanocarrier system that delivers therapeutic antibodies directly to target antigens inside cancer cells. By utilizing a metal-polyphenol network, the system escapes endosomes, enabling intracellular targeting of antibodies, resulting in suppression of tumor growth and enhanced anti-cancer activity, offering a promising tool for targeted cancer therapy.

To simulate blood flow inside brain aneurysms, researchers from Japan developed a computational method that combines 4D flow MRI, computational fluid dynamics, and data assimilation, which provides greater accuracy and efficiency. By focusing only on the aneurysm region, this approach significantly reduces computational cost while improving flow estimation. When validated on patient data, it outperforms conventional models—offering a practical tool for patient-specific risk assessment and treatment strategies.

Collective animal behaviors help groups avoid predators and forage more effectively, but their genetic basis is poorly understood. In a recent study, researchers explored this phenomenon using fruit flies, revealing that genetic diversity within groups enhances survival through coordinated fear responses. By combining large-scale behavioral tests and a new approach to genome-wide analyses, the researchers uncovered key genes and neural mechanisms behind group dynamics, offering insights relevant to ecology, pest control, and human social behavior.

For over a century, the well-known 18-electron rule has guided the field of organometallic chemistry. Now, researchers at Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) have successfully synthesized a novel organometallic compound that challenges this longstanding principle. They have created a stable 20-electron derivative of ferrocene, an iron-based metal-organic complex, which could lead to exciting possibilities in chemical science.  

Positively and neutrally buoyant microplastics mainly outflow from the Seto Inland Sea into the Pacific Ocean, whereas negatively buoyant MPs hardly leave the Seto Inland Sea and are primarily deposited and degraded near river mouths. Traditional microplastics are difficult to degrade quickly and thus remain in the marine environment for long periods. However, the use of biodegradable microplastics can significantly reduce microplastic pollution in the marine environment, especially in sediments.

This study presents a novel method to produce genetically modified rats by generating functional rat sperm in germ cell-deficient mice via blastocyst complementation with rat ES cells. Fluorescent rat ES cell lines were established, validated for pluripotency, and used to generate rat sperm in chimeric mice. The sperm successfully fertilized rat oocytes, producing viable offspring. This technique bypasses traditional chimera generation and reduces cost, offering an efficient platform for complex rat genetic engineering using ES cells.