From ocean pollution to carbon emissions, mixed plastics are an environmental headache. Japanese researchers have now developed a catalyst that selectively degrades polyurethane in mixed plastic waste while leaving coexisting polyester and nylon intact. Using an iridium-based catalyst with a phenolate salt additive and hydrogen gas, the method was successfully tested on blended textiles and end-of-life car seats, offering a practical route to recycling complex plastic combinations long considered too difficult to separate.

In Asakura, the river follows the past. Long before modern science, villagers reshaped the land. Researchers are now learning how those systems still work, collaborating with local communities to manage rivers and prevent disasters while preserving biodiversity.

Helimagnetic q-orientation can be reversibly and polarity-selectively controlled by electric current in the presence of an applied magnetic field, report researchers from Institute of Science Tokyo. In Co_8.5Zn_8.5Mn₃, they combine symmetry analysis with in situ Lorentz transmission electron microscopy to show a new framework for electrically controlling complex magnetic orders, with potential implications for future magnetic memory and spintronic devices.

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.

Learners often experience information overload when viewing and listening to presentations on PowerPoint. Addressing this, researchers in Japan proposed a ‘cumulative presentation’ design, in which visual content is segmented, and each segment appears alongside the relevant verbal explanation. By analyzing learners’ test scores and eye movements, researchers found that compared to the traditional format, in which information appeared all at once, cumulative presentation directed learners’ attention to relevant information and improved learning.

For the first time, astronomers have discovered stellar cocoons rich in complex organic molecules within the remnant of a massive star that exploded about 1,600 years ago. The discovery suggests that newborn stars can remain protected within their natal cocoons, allowing their rich molecular composition to survive even in the harsh environment of a supernova remnant.

Kyoto, Japan -- In the late 1990s in the Ajimu region of Japan's Oita prefecture, researchers discovered three fossilized vertebrae belonging to the Cryptobranchidae family of giant salamander. These were embedded in the Tsubusugawa Formation, Pliocene-era strata of lake deposits dating back approximately 3.5 million years. The strata have also yielded fossils of animals that no longer roam Japan, such as elephants and crocodiles, revealing a glimpse of an era much warmer and humid than Japan's current climate.

Researchers originally assigned the three Ajimu specimens to the genus Andrias, which includes the world's largest living amphibians, but at the time, a lack of comparative specimens and research prevented their precise taxonomic identification. Now, more than two decades later, a new research team at Kyoto University has succeeded in shedding more light on these mysterious fossils.

After comparing the Ajimu specimens to the skeletons of extant Cryptobranchidae species, the team found that the three fossils belonged to an anterior trunk vertebra, a mid-trunk vertebra, and a sacro-caudal vertebra. Further comparisons revealed that the mid-trunk vertebra possessed unique morphological characteristics not seen in other Cryptobranchidae species. This led the researchers to conclude that the Ajimu specimens represent a new species and genus.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is one of the most aggressive of all blood cancers. How it is classified helps determine how each patient is treated. For decades, that classification has rested on the gene mutations identified in leukemic cells, and these have driven both clinical decisions and the development of targeted drugs. But gene mutations are only part of the story. The epigenome, the layer of regulation that determines which genes a cell uses, has long been thought to play an equally important role in AML, but the full picture has remained unclear.