Sleep is essential for memory consolidation, but could it also prepare the brain for future learning? Researchers from Japan investigated this dual role, using advanced imaging to track neuronal activity in mice. They identified a distinct population of brain cells that became active during post-learning sleep and later encoded new experiences. Their findings, supported by neural network modeling, reveal that sleep not only preserves past memories but also primes the brain for forming future memories.

Researchers from AIMR developed an AI-driven approach to model carbon growth on metal surfaces with high accuracy. By integrating molecular dynamics, time-stamped force-biased Monte Carlo simulations, and machine learning, their method replicates key processes like carbon diffusion and graphene nucleation, enabling scalable, efficient carbon nanomaterial production for electronics and energy storage.

The power conversion efficiency of all-organic solar cells was doubled through the development of novel organic electrodes that can be fabricated using a moderate process.

A Japanese research team has, for the first time, captured real-time images of how supramolecular gels form using high-speed atomic force microscopy, revealing a previously unseen mechanism of fiber growth at the nanoscale.

A newly discovered fossil from Mongolia’s Gobi Desert reveals a previously unknown genus and species of Cretaceous mammal. Named Ravjaa ishiii, the tiny animal was identified from a partial lower jaw found by a joint team from Okayama University of Science and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences. The find marks the first record of a zhelestid mammal in Mongolia and suggests early mammals may have adapted to eating seeds and fruits from emerging flowering plants. Full findings are published in Acta Palaeontologica Polonica.

Many products in the modern world are in some way fabricated using computer numerical control (CNC) machines, which use computers to automate machine operations in manufacturing. While simple in concept, the ways to instruct these machines is in reality often complex. A team of researchers including those from the University of Tokyo devised a system to demonstrate how to mitigate some of this complexity. Draw2Cut allows users to draw desired designs directly onto material to be cut or milled. In this case, color-coded lines drawn with standard marker pens instruct the Draw2Cut system to mill designs into wood without any prior knowledge of CNC machines or their typical workflows.

Chimpanzee naive pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) can now be grown in cellular cultures, reveals a recent study. They successfully created chimpanzee early embryo models, called ‘blastoids,’ and found that the inhibition of a specific regulatory gene is essential for chimpanzee PSC self-renewal. They also developed a feeder-free culture system, eliminating the need for mouse-derived feeder cells as support. These findings provide valuable insights into primate embryology and could advance stem cell research and regenerative medicine.

Researchers found a strategy to create catalysts that make the production of hydrogen for clean fuel more efficient and affordable.

Strong methods do exist for measuring animal movement in the context of energy expenditure, but these are limited by the physical size of the equipment used. Now, in a paper published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, researchers from the Marine Biophysics Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), in collaboration with Professor Amatzia Genin from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, describe an innovative method for measuring energy usage during movement with video and 3D-tracking via deep learning.