Researchers in Japan found that lower plasma copper levels and reduced white matter volume in individuals with autism spectrum disorder were associated with clinical symptom scores, including social symptom severity. Using a mouse model, they show that developmental copper deficiency disrupts brain vascular and metabolic signaling, impairs oligodendrocyte maturation and myelination, and alters social behavior through mitophagy and mTOR suppression.

Researchers at Tohoku University look beyond the life-taking venomous stings of box jellyfish, and focus on life-creating processes in a new comprehensive study of their reproductive traits.

The National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), together with 5 international research partners, has demonstrated a record-breaking 450 terabits per second (Tb/s) optical transmission - the first time such a rate has been achieved over a field-deployed legacy fiber. The link, in London, UK, connects University College London (UCL) to the Telehouse North data center. This work is part of a long-standing collaboration between NICT and UCL. The team introduced new optical-amplifier technologies that support ultra-wideband signals. Conventional commercial systems use up to about 10 THz of bandwidth, covering the C- and L-bands. The new system uses the O-, E-, S-, C- and L-bands together, more than quadrupling the available bandwidth to a record 42.4 THz. The resulting data rate of 450 Tb/s surpasses the previous records of 402 Tb/s and 430 Tb/s, set in 2024 and 2025 over laboratory fibers. Unlike those earlier demonstrations, the new experiment used real, already-installed fibers from the UK National Dark Fibre Facility (NDFF). This is therefore the closest demonstration to date of how the full capacity of existing fiber infrastructure could be unlocked, paving the way for the next generation of networks needed to support AI services and beyond-5G mobile systems. This achievement was reported as a postdeadline paper at the 2026 Optical Fiber Communication Conference (OFC2026) on Thursday, March 19, 2026, at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Researchers have developed a new way to generate realistic synthetic training data for agricultural robots by recreating tomato cultivation environments in a virtual world. The approach could help overcome one of the biggest barriers in agricultural robotics: the time and labor required to collect and manually label real-world data under challenging greenhouse conditions such as changing lighting, dense foliage, and fruit occlusion.

Researchers, including those from the University of Tokyo, pioneered a new method for encapsulating cells within small, soft capsules. This is useful for various kinds of research where the properties of a cell, including its behaviors and interactions, need to be isolated and measured. Previous methods required more specialized equipment, time and expertise. The new method needs only basic lab equipment and can open up access to advanced 3D cell culture research to a broad range of researchers. 

Professor Takahiro Murakami of Okayama University of Science, known in Japan as the “Ant Guy,” conducted a monitoring survey of invasive Argentine ants in Okayama City with nine graduate students as part of a wildlife science field course. The survey confirmed the presence of an Argentine ant nest near Sakura Bridge in Naka Ward, and students observed the species’ characteristic rapid movement and aggressive foraging behavior. Although Argentine ants do not possess venom, their high reproductive capacity can severely disrupt native ecosystems. Established across many coastal regions of Japan, the species remains a growing ecological concern. Professor Murakami aims to achieve the eradication of Argentine ants from Okayama City within the next decade through targeted control measures. The survey also provided hands-on training for students while contributing valuable data for long-term invasive species management.

Tokyo, Japan – Scientists from Tokyo Metropolitan University have revealed key parts of the biochemical pathways connecting stress to sexual dysfunction. By studying Drosophila fruit flies, they showed that the neurotransmitter dopamine was responsible for determining how long male flies showed persistent courtship suppression after being confined in a small space, but not whether mating was suppressed in the first place. Their findings in a key model organism illuminate neurobiological factors causing sexual dysfunction in other organisms, including humans.

What does it mean to weigh a $170 billion gold mine against a way of life? Researchers at Kyushu University and Oita University found that for Alaska Native communities, the answer cannot be reduced to simple ‘support’ or ‘opposition.’ Many community members occupy multiple, often conflicting roles, and must balance economic opportunity, cultural survival, and environmental stewardship. The findings call for governance structures that center Indigenous worldviews and their own definitions of well-being.

A research team led by Associate Professor Noriyuki Kurita from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Toyohashi University of Technology and by Associate Professor Pornpan Pungpo from Ubon Ratchathani University in Thailand has proposed a novel therapeutic agent for tuberculosis, using high-precision molecular simulation techniques. The proposed drug is anticipated to bind strongly to the drug-metabolizing enzyme cytochrome P450 (CYP), thereby inhibiting excessive CYP-mediated metabolism and preventing the degradation of co-administered drugs. Additionally, because this agent targets enzymes released by the tuberculosis bacterium rather than the bacterium itself, the likelihood of bacterial mutation and resistance development is reduced, suggesting sustained therapeutic efficacy over an extended period.

β-1,2-Glucans are glucose-based polymers found across a wide range of organisms that play important roles in bacterial infection and symbiosis. However, how bacteria import these sugars remains poorly understood. In a recent study, researchers from Japan identified and characterized Chy400_4166, a novel β-1,2-glucan-binding protein from the bacterium Chloroflexus aurantiacus. This protein exhibits a binding mechanism distinct from any previously described transporter of this kind, expanding our understanding of how bacteria recognize and take up β-1,2-glucans.