A new study from Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology uses computational models to shed light on the evolutionary origins of potassium conduits, identifying spike timing as a probable evolutionary pressure. The research suggests that higher unitary conductance channels, found in mammals and birds, were essential for achieving pr...
A study on blue damselfish reveals physiological stress in fish genes despite abundant food in urbanized waters, sparking the 'junk food effect' hypothesis. Gene activity analysis distinguishes environmental signatures that conventional monitoring may miss.
Researchers at OIST successfully moved a levitating, centimeter-wide diamond using the force generated by electron spin alone, directly observing a quantum effect on an object subject to gravity. This achievement sets a new baseline for studying the boundary between classical and quantum physics.
Researchers have found 'plasticorals', coral rubble fused with plastic, on the shores of vulnerable coral reefs in Okinawa, Japan. This discovery highlights a potential threat to critical marine environments, as plastic pollution can disrupt coral propagation and harbor coral pathogens.
Researchers propose a new concept of societal listening to transform environmental data into public awareness and collective action. The concept connects environmental sensing to sensory experience, public imagination, and institutional responsibility, aiming to make environmental change perceptible and shareable.
A new study from OIST found that children with ADHD retell less complete stories than their peers, but visual aids help reduce the gap. The study highlights the importance of visual aids in creating inclusive learning and social environments for school-aged children with ADHD.
A team of scientists discovered that fleeting sugar pairings in cell membranes regulate epidermal growth factor receptor signaling, reducing unwanted cell division and potentially inhibiting cancer growth. This new mechanism reveals the importance of transient molecular interactions in maintaining membrane stability and regulating cell...
A new brain-inspired algorithm, Spi-Fly, demonstrates promise for achieving practical applications in scent classification, particularly in scenarios with limited training data. The algorithm shows accurate classification of scents and can learn with few-shot and continual learning methods, making it suitable for real-world applications.
Surzen Biotherapeutics aims to develop effective pain relief without severe side effects by targeting opioid receptor pathways differently. The company plans to use peptides to block dimerization, reducing tolerance and improving efficacy.
Researchers challenge traditional assumptions on synaptic potentiation and instead identify clustered patterns of connections as crucial for retaining long-term memories. Through artificial hibernation techniques, they discovered that small clusters of engram-engram synapses are preserved to enable accurate recall.
Researchers at OIST have designed and synthesized new multi-functional compounds that change structure under UV light, exhibiting turn-ON fluorescence and bistability. These molecular switches have a range of desirable properties, making them suitable for applications in sensing, low-energy technologies, and responsive systems.
Researchers discovered a strong link between environmental variation and thyroid hormone signaling in reef fish, enabling them to adapt to changing habitats. The study found that habitat impacts development by altering gene expression and metabolic profiles, giving animals more flexibility when their environments change.
A study by OIST researchers has developed a physics-based model to reproduce and predict individual ant movement. The model uses stochastic, or random, modeling to analyze video recordings of ants exploring laboratory environments, allowing for the derivation of predictions about their behavior in new environments.
Researchers discovered that a small magnetic field switches CeTe₃ between striped and checkerboard electronic patterns. The material's unique properties allow it to adopt multiple competing patterns, which can be manipulated with magnetism.
Researchers created a virtual robot with curiosity-driven neural network and tested its performance, finding that play-like behavior and exception-handling performance helped the robot understand language faster. The study suggests a combination of curiosity and linguistic diversity is key to children's rapid language acquisition.
The Ryukyu Islands Coral eDNA Atlas provides a comprehensive overview of hard coral distribution across the region based on extensive environmental DNA analysis. The atlas includes data from 231 locations, revealing relative abundance of different coral genera at each survey site.
Researchers have developed a federated learning algorithm that solves the long-standing conflict between robustness and efficiency in AI development. The new approach anonymizes data and reduces single-point failure risks while maintaining speed. By remembering past client interactions, servers can protect against malicious input.
Researchers use cryo-electron microscopy to reveal the 3D structure of Mfa pili in P. gingivalis, understanding its role in attaching to host tissues and other microbes. This information can aid in developing therapeutic strategies to block attachment and infection.
A redesigned high-NA EUV lithography optical system has been proposed, which could enable the manufacture of smaller computer chips at lower cost than current methods. The new design eliminates troublesome optical effects, enhances resolution, and should be much cheaper to produce.
The Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology has received a landmark gift to establish its first endowment fund, the largest individual gift in its history. The donation will support research and education initiatives, attracting top young talent from around the world.
Researchers have found that horizontal gene transfer contributed to the repeated evolution of fungi-like, absorption-feeding life across eukaryotes. The study identified 166 cases where genes were transferred between four groups of eukaryotes, including Fungi and Pseudofungi.
Researchers discovered a structural adaptation supporting the survival and mobility of a Dead Sea single-celled organism in harsh environments. The archaeal filament, powered by a membrane-anchored protein motor, is stiffened and strengthened with a unique outer sheath structure to facilitate movement in viscous conditions.
Researchers developed a physics-based framework to predict power fluctuations from renewables, enabling grid operators to mitigate surges and blackouts. The model correlates atmospheric turbulence with electricity output, allowing for accurate risk assessments of existing turbines and farms.
Researchers discovered a step-by-step process underlying SPD-5 activation, which regulates where and when spindle fibers form in C. elegans. This finding provides insights into the fundamentals of cell division regulation and may lead to new treatments for diseases caused by incorrect chromosome segregation.
Scientists at OIST create well-ordered antiferromagnetic crystal with controlled chemical disorder, tracking evolution from order to disorder. They clarify the definition of spin glass, offering a new baseline for studying exotic materials.
Researchers from OIST have reported the first full structural characterization of a doubly ring-slipped reaction intermediate in metallocene formation. This discovery provides new evidence on how metallocenes form and react, presenting opportunities for designing tunable structures for applications such as drug delivery systems, cataly...
Four Okinawa startups - CancerFree Biotech, Perseptive, Strout Inc., and Tlaloc Blue - have graduated from the OIST Innovation Accelerator, demonstrating progress in healthcare, communication, aquaculture, and environmental technologies. The graduates plan to expand their businesses domestically and internationally, with support from f...
The OIST Innovation Accelerator supports entrepreneurial researchers developing deep technologies with strong potential for commercialization in the Japanese market. Up to four research-driven ventures will be selected to participate in a 10-month residency, each receiving up to ¥10 million in project funding.
A new study reveals that carnivorous plants like pitcher plants provide a vital source of nutrient-rich nectar to wasps, benefiting both parties. This interaction may be more than just predator-prey, as the plants and wasps work together for mutual benefit.
Researchers have discovered two thresholds for the behavior of charged water droplets on frictionless surfaces, enabling finer control over electrospray processes and opening up opportunities for nanofabrication. The study's findings may also lead to greener scientific techniques.
Termites became the backbone of tropical ecosystems after two diversification pulses following global extinctions. The traits that define modern termites, such as soil-eating and fungus agriculture, emerged in distinct pulses about 30 million years apart, according to a new study published in Current Biology.
Physicists used a water tank to simulate the Aharonov-Bohm effect, revealing counter-rotating wave patterns that mimic quantum effects. The study showed that adding a vortex causes shifts in wave phase, resulting in rotating lines of zero wave height, or nodal lines.
Researchers from OIST used medieval records and buried trees to identify a sub-extreme solar proton event between winter 1200 CE and spring 1201 CE. They also reconstructed the Sun's activity cycle, which was shorter than today's eleven-year cycles.
Researchers have uncovered a gene responsible for the unusual patterning in Snowflake clownfish, which has provided key clues toward solving the mystery of biological organization. The study suggests that a universal framework for studying pattern formation across species exists.
A large-scale computational study found that point-of-origin effects significantly influence protein diversification, with relatively small divergence seen from ancestral proteins. The research reinforces existing theories on initial protein formation and highlights the limitations of modern AI protein design methods.
A new study from Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) identifies the 'long fuse' that led to the diversification of modern squid and cuttlefish. The research suggests that these animals originated in the deep ocean around 100 million years ago, sparking rapid evolution after a mass extinction event.
Researchers at OIST and University of Turin developed a general formulation for mixing heavy particles with fluid, enabling study of fundamental physics phenomena and applied research in fluid engineering. Simulations reveal the formation of sediment plumes and the role of friction in particle interactions.
Researchers at OIST identified 80 plasma membrane repair proteins in budding yeast, revealing a coordinated sequence of molecular events. The study provides a foundation for investigating plasma membrane repair mechanisms in higher eukaryotes, including human cells.
The Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) has developed a scalable aquaculture platform that automates early-life stages, minimizing pathogen exposure and animal stress. The system uses light and flow-guided systems to improve survival rates and reduce labor input.
A new database of 3D ant models, Antscan, provides high-resolution micro-CT scans of 800 different ant species, revolutionizing the study of organismal shape and form. The database facilitates large-scale digitization of small organisms, enabling scientists to better model ant movement and study locomotion.
A new study reveals that the presence of older fish accelerates bar loss in young tomato anemonefish, a process linked to social hierarchy and environmental adaptability. The researchers suggest this may be an insurance policy against invasion, with younger fish losing their bars as they are accepted into the group.
Researchers have identified a new class of one-dimensional particles, dubbed anyons, which exhibit properties between bosons and fermions. The discovery opens up new possibilities for investigating fundamental physics in realistic experimental settings.
Researchers at OIST found that combining inner speech with working memory enhances AI learning, enabling easier adaptation to new situations. This discovery holds promise for developing more human-like AI systems capable of handling complex, dynamic environments.
A team of researchers from OIST and Stanford University has demonstrated a powerful new alternative approach to Floquet engineering by showing that excitons can produce Floquet effects more efficiently than light. This breakthrough enables the creation of novel quantum devices and materials with significantly lower intensities.
Researchers from OIST found that the Late Ordovician Mass Extinction drove an unprecedented richness of vertebrate life, with gnathostomes dominating all others. The study linked the mass extinction pulses to increased speciation after millions of years, highlighting their role in shaping the evolution of vertebrates.
Researchers have discovered a new method for generating highly stable and precise microwave signals through self-induced superradiant masing. This phenomenon produces long-lived bursts of microwave emission without external driving, paving the way for technological advances in fields like medicine, navigation, and quantum communication.
Researchers developed a tool to quickly identify resistant strains of S. aureus using genomic profiles and machine-learning models. The approach is based on gene-content information rather than highly detailed genomic profiles, making it more practical for real-life clinical contexts.
A mouse study by Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology researchers has found that acetylcholine release is essential for breaking habits and enabling new choices to be made. The study's findings may help understand diseases such as Parkinson's disease, addiction, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
A recent study mapped the evolutionary history of Asia-Pacific Balanophora species, revealing its retained plastids despite losing photosynthetic genes. This allows it to survive entirely as a parasite on specific tree roots, with some species producing seeds without fertilization.
Researchers at OIST have discovered that certain cancers can 'lose their sense of time' to avoid cellular stress responses. The study highlights the role of USP28 in stabilizing p53, a known tumor suppressor, and how mutations in this protein can disrupt its function.