A Japanese research team has discovered a novel global cooperative phenomena of cell interactions in cervical cancer cells. Their findings suggest that the cells are metabolically connected in a functional network. The framework they used in their studies could prove useful for investigating the hidden state of a group of cells.

A team from The University of Osaka has created nickel(0)-boron bonds in square-planar complexes. The researchers prepared and characterized nickel complexes containing tris(perfluoroaryl)boranes and showed that the bulky Z-type ligands formed stable bonds that were supported by noncovalent interactions with the other ligands in the complexes. This first for nickel and boron is expected to open new avenues in catalysis for the synthesis of high-value products such as pharmaceuticals and polymers.

Obesity prevention strategies often focus on diet, but eating behaviors also play a key role. In a recent study, researchers from Japan investigated factors influencing meal duration, including sex differences, chewing patterns, and rhythmic cues. Their findings suggest that eating more slowly—by increasing chews per bite or using slow rhythmic cues—may help reduce food intake. These insights could inform practical, low-cost obesity prevention strategies by promoting slower eating habits in daily life.

Enzymes originally evolved in high-temperature environments and later adapted to lower temperatures as Earth cooled. Scientists from Waseda University and RIKEN, Japan, discovered that a key shift in enzyme function occurred over evolutionary time due to amino acid changes distant from the active site. These mutations lowered activation energy, enhancing catalytic efficiency at low temperatures. Their findings highlight how global cooling events influenced enzyme evolution.

Despite decades of research, the structural and functional brain abnormalities in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remain unclear. Now, researchers from Japan have used advanced neuroimaging to identify white matter differences linked to autism symptoms. Alterations in the left hemisphere were associated with repetitive behaviors and communication difficulties. These findings could lead to more objective diagnostic tools and potential therapeutic strategies, improving early detection and intervention for children with ASD.

In vertebrate retinas, specialized photoreceptors responsible for color vision (cone cells) arrange themselves in patterns known as the “cone mosaic”. Researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) have discovered that a protein called Dscamb acts as a "self-avoidance enforcer" for color-detecting cells in the retinas of zebrafish, ensuring they maintain perfect spacing for optimal vision. Their findings have been published in Nature Communications.