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.

Detecting the overall characteristics of culture medium components as fluorescence patterns and evaluating quality using machine learning

Researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo have developed ultrathin, stretchable facial electrodes that are effectively invisible and cannot be felt when worn. The electrodes reduce the visual discomfort and psychological burden associated with conventional facial sensors, allowing eye movements, facial muscle activity, and brain activity to be measured under more natural conditions. The electrodes could allow future technology to be operated with subtle facial and eye signals.

Hydrothermal vents on the bottom of the ocean host a broad range of rare and unusual ecosystems. They can be spread very far apart, and yet there will often be overlap in the creatures which inhabit them. Researchers, including those from the University of Tokyo, answer a long-standing question in this field about how creatures migrate between hydrothermal vents. Their process involves inspecting the chemical nature of limpet shells to reconstruct their likely journeys, yielding some surprising results. 

In an innovative gas fermentation process, reducing the concentration of carbon dioxide was found to significantly improve microbial production of the biodegradable plastic, poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate]. Researchers found that hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria grown under safe, nonflammable gas conditions enable more efficient production of biodegradable plastic at lower CO₂ levels. The study provides a promising strategy for sustainable carbon recycling and efficient CO₂ utilization.

Not every allergy antibody poses the same risk. A Hiroshima University-led research team has developed a more sensitive version of an allergy blood test designed to better detect functional allergen-specific IgE antibodies—the antibodies capable of triggering the immune processes behind allergic reactions.

Textile properties often depend as much on yarn entanglement as on the material itself, with these underlying patterns influencing mechanical behavior. Researchers have developed a mathematical framework that classifies periodic textile structures and identifies the features that define knittable textiles through the propagation of defects. The findings could help design fabrics with tailored mechanical properties and provide insights into how the underlying structure affects the properties of other entangled materials, from polymers to soft robotics.

Researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo discovered that hydrogen behaves either as a quantum wave or as a classical particle inside vanadium, depending on its concentration and the crystal structure of the material. By combining hydrogen diffusion measurements with theoretical calculations, crystal symmetry was identified as a key factor controlling hydrogen tunneling. The findings provide a new framework for designing materials for future energy technologies.

When extreme drought strikes, drier grasslands receive the greatest productivity benefit from biodiversity. By contrast, forests did not show the same context-dependent pattern under drought, according to a new global synthesis of 75 biodiversity experiments. Researchers from YOKOHAMA National University published their results in Nature Ecology & Evolution on July 15.