Free-electron lasers can be tuned to operate over a wide range of wavelengths, but they conventionally require large-scale facilities. Researchers from The University of Osaka show that laser wakefield acceleration can dramatically miniaturize this technology by improving plasma stability and electron beam quality. Their study demonstrates such lasers in the extreme ultraviolet, with the ultimate goal of further refining the technology to operate at x-ray wavelengths.

Plant diseases tend to worsen under high humidity because bacteria can manipulate a plant hormone called abscisic acid (ABA) to create a waterlogged environment inside leaves. Now, researchers from Japan have revealed how plants fight back against this by sensing rising humidity and activating a molecular pathway that depletes ABA. They also identified key mechanisms that bacteria evolved to counteract this strategy, shedding light on the competition between plants and pathogens for water inside leaves.

Nanofilm electrodes capable of detecting stress in plants through bioelectric potentials could pave the way for more resilient agriculture, report researchers from Institute of Science Tokyo. Thanks to the electrode’s small thickness, leaf surface hairs can easily pierce through it, enabling stable and long-term electrical contact without compromising the leaf’s natural processes. This work could help improve crop yields by enabling early detection of stress in plants.

A multi-channel wearable scent display developed at Institute of Science Tokyo allows a user to experience multiple scents while exploring virtual environments. Based on virtual scenes, the device can blend up to eight fragrances in real time and deliver them with precise control of odor intensity. By synchronizing smell with virtual reality content, the device enables better immersion and realism—opening new possibilities for enhanced digital entertainment, realistic simulation training, and future digital scent technologies.

Kyoto, Japan -- "It takes a village to raise a child" doesn't apply merely to humans. Many species of mammals, birds, fish, and various invertebrates have evolved complex social care systems known as cooperative breeding. In these animal societies, offspring receive attention not only from their parents but also from other group members called helpers.

Such social systems have evolved independently multiple times across various taxa, yet most studies have focused on birds and mammals. After studying fish in Lake Tanganyika, one of Africa's great lakes bordering four countries, a team of researchers at Kyoto University was inspired to investigate the forces behind cooperative breeding in lamprologine cichlid, a fish variety endemic to the lake. Specifically, they aimed to elucidate the evolutionary history of cooperative breeding and its correlation with the life history traits of several of these species.

"I have long been interested in how animals cooperate with other individuals," says first author Shun Satoh. "Even when social systems appear superficially similar, the environmental factors that promoted increasing social complexity may have differed among mammals, birds, and fish, and I find that especially fascinating."

A nationwide clinical RCT trial led by Dr. Kazumi Kimura at Kumamoto University Hospital has found that adding catheter ablation to standard anticoagulant therapy did not significantly reduce the risk of recurrent stroke or major cardiovascular events in patients with atrial fibrillation who had recently experienced a stroke.

Following the development of diffusion models that generate art and video from simple prompts, researchers at the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have created an artificial intelligence (AI) system that turns text descriptions into accurate architectural images. The model overcomes a major limitation in AI-design tools that only provide visual representations without structural accuracy. The system generates building images that follow structural rules, making AI tools more useful and reliable for architectural design.