Professor Emeritus Eiichi Araki of Kumamoto University has been awarded the prestigious Japanese Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon (Shiju Hosho) in the Spring 2026 Conferment for his extraordinary contributions to academic and scientific development. A pioneer in the field of Diabetology, Professor Araki is recognized for his transformative research into insulin signaling and the molecular mechanisms underlying diabetes, work that has significantly advanced the global understanding of the disease.

Biochar is increasingly viewed as a powerful tool for restoring degraded ecosystems, improving soil health, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and immobilizing pollutants. But a new review published in Biochar highlights a key question for scientists, land managers, and policymakers: how much biochar should be used?

A metasurface-based spectral convolutional neural network chip enables real-time, high-precision pathological diagnosis of meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), achieving 96.22% diagnostic accuracy—significantly outperforming conventional RGB image analysis (84.00%). This is the first study to apply an optical neural network chip for MGD diagnosis and to establish a spectral histopathology framework for ocular surface disease.

The University of Louisville has begun construction of a transformative new building that will serve as a cornerstone for education, engagement and research at the UofL Health Sciences Center and as a resource for the broader university and healthcare communities. The Health Sciences Building is designed to provide a rich environment for innovative and collaborative education that will equip existing and future health professionals to provide superior care and discover solutions to our most pressing health challenges.

While they share similar depressive and cognitive symptoms, the biological underpinnings of bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder are distinct. A novel study appearing in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, published by Elsevier, is the first to identify clinically relevant pathways linking metabolic dysfunction, brain structure, and cognition in mood disorders, with stronger and more specific effects observed in bipolar disorder. It highlights the potential of targeting metabolic pathways to improve cognitive symptoms in bipolar disorder.