Kyoto, Japan -- The Japanese island of Tsushima is home to the Tsushima leopard cat, a critically endangered species that can only be found on this isolated island. The most recent government survey estimated the population to be only around 150 individuals, and since domestic cats also inhabit the same landscape, introgression is a legitimate conservation concern.

That's why a team of researchers from Kyoto University became worried when, during a field survey, they spotted at least three Tsushima leopard cats with shortened tails, a trait relatively common in domestic cats but that had not yet been observed in leopard cats. The team was able to capture one of these cats for examination and discovered that its tail was half the normal length. This motivated them to investigate whether this tail abnormality reflected recent domestic cat ancestry, or a variation arising within the leopard cat population.

"An unusual phenotype can immediately raise concerns about hybridization, but we wanted to determine objectively what the genome actually tells us before drawing conclusions from appearance alone," says first author Yuki Matsumoto*.

Researchers at the University of Osaka discovered a simple, rigid aromatic hydrocarbon that breaks the usual rule. Under pressure, its crystals grow 1.7 times brighter and shift color from light blue to yellow, with a record-high sensitivity of 37.4 nm/GPa, nearly double the previous best. An elongated, uniformly slender molecular shape was the key, offering a new design principle for pressure-responsive materials without complex flexible frameworks.

As reproductive medicine evolves worldwide, traditional anonymity in sperm donation is giving way to a growing recognition of an individual's right to know their genetic origins. Hosted by Kumamoto University, this international hybrid symposium brings together leading experts from Germany, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. Join multidisciplinary discussions on legal frameworks, ethical challenges, and support systems shaping the global shift toward donor identity disclosure. Free and open to the public with simultaneous interpretation.

In addition to shrinking and regrowing, shrew skulls change shape with the seasons.

Tokyo, Japan – Scientists from Tokyo Metropolitan University have found a way to make plasma more effective for its wide-ranging uses, from anti-microbial applications to surface conditioning in the semiconductor industry. They mapped the production of atomic oxygen, a key ingredient of oxygen plasma, while a high voltage was put across oxygen gas. They discovered that the amount of atomic oxygen available for reactions was boosted at pressures moderately lower than atmospheric conditions. Their findings promise more energy-efficient, higher performance plasma technologies.

A study investigated how ingesting expanded polystyrene (EPS) affects wharf roaches, a common shoreline scavenger. EPS-fed animals showed no significant reduction in lifespan, but their guts displayed altered expression of genes involved in chemical defense, DNA repair, and digestion. Gut microbial communities were largely unchanged, although several rare taxa were detected only in EPS-fed specimens. The findings highlight the need for a more comprehensive understanding of how microplastic pollution affects marine ecosystems.

The brittleness of glassy polymers limits their use in demanding applications. Researchers developed a DMAP-neutralized ionic comb polymer that forms a homogeneous nanostructure through bulky organic counterions, helping overcome the long-standing stiffness–toughness trade-off. The resulting material was about twice as stiff and four times tougher than the non-ionic precursor, offering a new molecular design strategy for more durable, lightweight plastics for future applications such as drones and automobiles.

Autophagy is an intracellular degradation mechanism in eukaryotes. The autophagosome, which encloses damaged or excess cellular material for degradation, is constructed from lipids supplied by the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), via the lipid transfer protein Atg2. Researchers have identified an activation mechanism that enables Atg2 localization to the ER, facilitating efficient lipid transfer. This activation mechanism was found to be conserved across fungi and mammals and may be a crucial part of autophagosome formation.

Gram-negative bacteria rely on outer membrane proteins (OMPs) to maintain their protective outer membrane, but how these proteins are handed over from the chaperone SurA to the β-barrel assembly machinery (BAM) for folding and localization remains unclear. Now, researchers from Japan used cryo-electron microscopy to observe distinct SurA–BAM complexes, showing that SurA undergoes substantial conformational changes during OMP delivery. Their findings identify key interactions that could inform future antibacterial strategies targeting OMP assembly.