Migration and asylum policy have long been among the most debated issues in the European Union (EU), exposing divisions among member states over responsibility-sharing and border management. A new study found that the 2024 Migration Pact transformed EU migration governance from expert-led coordination to political bargaining among national leaders. The findings reveal how migration has become a central arena of intra-EU diplomacy and suggest a shift in how political consensus is built across the EU.

Epilepsy affects millions of people worldwide, and roughly one-third of such patients continue to experience seizures despite medication. In a recent study, researchers from Gunma University have developed a 410-base pair compact genetic switch that selectively targets inhibitory neurons in the brain to restore the excitatory–inhibitory balance. This compact switch can be delivered using viral delivery vectors, enabling effective seizure suppression across multiple epilepsy mouse models while preserving the capacity of the therapeutic genes.

Kyoto, Japan -- Synucleinopathies are a group of neurodegenerative disorders that includes serious conditions such as Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies. There are currently no cures for these disorders and treatment is limited to mitigating symptoms. Recently, antibody-based therapies have attracted considerable attention, but alternative approaches are still necessary.

Therapy development for synucleinopathies tends to target the alpha-synuclein protein, αSyn, the abnormal aggregation of which is a hallmark of these diseases. However, targeting this protein using conventional strategies for drug discovery is stymied by the molecule's lack of a stable three-dimensional structure, which cultivates aggregation.

Interested in understanding how abnormal protein aggregation drives neurodegeneration, a team of researchers at Kyoto University had an idea that was both scientifically intriguing and therapeutically promising: could RNA aptamers -- often described as "chemical antibodies" -- directly recognize αSyn's disordered regions and suppress pathological aggregation?

Scientists have found a way to spot early signs of skin aging, discovering that collagen's hidden internal structure begins to unravel before the fibers themselves break apart.

Scientists have uncovered the physiological role of O-mannose glycans, a little-understood class of sugar molecules abundant in the brain. By showing that branched O-mannose glycans are essential for maintaining nodes of Ranvier, the researchers reveal how these sugar structures help ensure fast and consistent electrical signaling along nerve fibers.

A research team at Saitama University has discovered that calmodulin-binding peptide (CBP) can switch between two distinct target proteins depending on the surrounding metal-ion environment. Specifically, CBP binds calmodulin in the presence of calcium ions but recognizes human midkine in the presence of sodium ions. By combining surface plasmon resonance experiments with AlphaFold 3 structural prediction, the team uncovered a previously unrecognized mechanism of ion-dependent molecular recognition by a naturally occurring peptide. This finding opens new possibilities for peptide-based molecular recognition, diagnostic technologies, and drug discovery.

Using a simple physical model, researchers at the University of Osaka, The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), RIKEN, and the Institute of Science Tokyo revealed how superionic conduction emerges when mobile ions undergo sublattice melting while the surrounding crystal framework remains intact. Near this transition, ions move cooperatively in spatially heterogeneous, string-like patterns, aided by anharmonic lattice motion. The findings identify general physical principles connecting lattice softness and collective transport, potentially guiding more efficient development of solid electrolytes for batteries and energy-conversion technologies.