Kyoto, Japan -- Like many parasites, nematomorphs are known to manipulate the behavior of their hosts to complete their life cycles. Also known as horsehair worms, among other names, these creatures develop in their hosts' body cavities and lure their terrestrial arthropod victims into the water where the parasites then reproduce. Some species have even been observed to induce positive phototaxis, attracting the host toward horizontally polarized light reflected on the water's surface.

Given that some parasites, including nematomorphs, target nocturnal hosts, a team of researchers at Kyoto University wondered if parasites manipulate their nocturnal hosts in sync with the lunar cycle. If such a manipulation mechanism has been conserved across nematomorph lineages, the team hypothesized that water-entry behavior in nocturnal hosts infected by Gordius and Gordionus nematomorphs may be more prevalent during the full moon, and sparse during the new moon.

From August to October during nights of the full and new moon, the researchers sampled camel crickets floating on the water in a small artificial pond in the Kiso River system in Nagano prefecture, where they also found large numbers of nematomorphs. In addition, they examined the stomach contents of salmonid fish in a nearby forested stream, treating the fish as fellow field researchers that continuously survey the river, day and night.

Entangled curves repeating periodically in three directions appear in DNA origami, polymers, and crystalline materials, but lacked a rigorous diagrammatic theory like the one used for classical knots. Researchers introduce ”tridiagrams”, a new representation capturing these structures in three coupled projections, enabling a generalized Reidemeister theorem and a crossing number invariant.

Over the past decade, Okayama University of Science has turned wine into a platform for education, research and regional collaboration. Its Wine Project has trained students in grape cultivation and winemaking, developed the new wine grape Muscat Shiragai, and worked with local producers on sake and wine. Now, researchers are looking to the project’s next chapter: making wine from Muscat Shiragai using locally discovered yeast to create a wine distinctly rooted in Okayama.

Marine plastic debris can persist for long periods and gradually break down into microplastics that are difficult to remove. Researchers from Ritsumeikan University used a system dynamics model to examine how reducing marine plastic inputs and varying the timing and intensity of cleanup could affect plastic accumulation by 2050. The findings show that halting plastic inputs is essential but insufficient on its own. Earlier cleanup of legacy macroplastics can reduce accumulation, but at higher costs.

The enigmatic assembly pathway behind the refractile-body proteins may have finally been resolved, as reported by researchers from Science Tokyo. Using genetic engineering and several protein structural analysis techniques, they investigated how four different proteins work together to produce the correct nanoscale to microscale structure of these complex, pH-responsive protein machines. These findings could help establish new frameworks to engineer dynamic protein systems as biotechnological tools.

Limited weather observations over Antarctica often lead to less accurate forecasts in the Southern Hemisphere (SH) compared to the Northern Hemisphere. In a new study, Japanese researchers found that adding continuous radar observations from Antarctica improved forecasts of atmospheric rivers—long, narrow bands of moisture that can bring heavy rain, snow, and flooding. Their findings highlight the value of continuous Antarctic observations for more reliable weather forecasting across SH.

A research team led by Kyushu University have developed a new water-soluble and metal-free molecule that could be detected by both fluorescence imaging and utilized as an MRI contrast agent. The team modified the luminescent organic radical tris(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl) methyl (TTM) to make it water-soluble. The new molecule produced deep-red fluorescence in water and enhanced the contrast of MRI phantom images by approximately 2.5 to 4.5 times stronger than that of previously reported water-soluble TTM radicals.

Development of a compact current comparator capable of evaluating both AC and DC current ratios using the same setup

Using an integrated New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) framework combining bioinformatics, 3D modeling, machine learning, and in vitro assays, this study analyzed 107 ecological factors and estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) diversity across 169 mammalian species. Key discoveries include an expanded ligand-binding pocket in omnivores, a cetacean-specific substitution, and brain-to-body mass ratio as a sensitivity predictor. These findings provide essential molecular mechanisms for predicting wildlife chemical sensitivity.