A new study reveals that cohesin, a protein complex, prevents local mixing of compact active genome domains in living human cells. This domain organization helps maintain proper gene regulation. The study challenges the simple textbook view of chromatin and provides a revised view of euchromatin.
A new study reveals that climate models struggle to accurately represent Southern Ocean clouds, which significantly impact Earth's energy balance. The research team found that cloud phase and temperature are more important factors in simulating the Southern Ocean's surface energy budget than simply reproducing cloud frequency.
Nearly 4 million Japanese research outputs have been integrated into OpenAlex, significantly enhancing their global discoverability. This integration is driven by Japan's institutional repositories, such as IRDB, and is supported by high-quality, standardized metadata.
Researchers sequenced medaka genomes using PacBio HiFi and Oxford Nanopore sequencing, revealing conserved centromeric sequences and a giant mobile element. The study provides insights into chromosome stability, sex determination, and the phenotypic traits of different organisms.
Christian P. Robert is recognized for his work on modern Bayesian statistics and computation, transforming Bayesian analysis into a practical framework. His books and research have educated generations of statisticians and strengthened the connection between theory and practice.
Twenty NII papers were accepted at ACL 2026, including two that won the Best Theme Paper and Outstanding Paper awards. These achievements lay the groundwork for developing trustworthy AI and advancing research in explainability and transparent AI.
A new study of penguins and krill found that repeated predator disturbance can alter prey behavior, leading to functional prey depletion. Penguins had to dive deeper and travel farther to encounter prey, but feeding rates remained unchanged once prey were encountered.
NII and Indian Institute of Technology Bombay form a collaboration to advance the research and development of transparent and reliable large language models. BharatGen, an India-based AI initiative, contributes to building an open and inclusive AI ecosystem.
Researchers found that warm South Atlantic Ocean temperatures influence atmospheric blocking patterns, leading to more frequent and intense snowfall events in East Antarctica. The study's findings highlight the importance of global climate connections across vast distances.
A team of researchers has made a significant contribution to understanding human genetics by mapping the Japanese genome, revealing new insights into genetic disease shaping in the Japanese population. The study nearly doubled the complete reconstruction rate to 91.2%, enabling better personalized medicine and treatment options.
Researchers propose a framework for on-demand atmospheric observations using lightweight, low-cost profiling systems to improve short-term forecasting and climate resilience. Community-operated systems could fill critical gaps in existing forecasting systems, particularly in remote regions.
Researchers developed a new framework to analyze historical weather data and found a significant reduction in solar radiation in central Japan during the summer of 1836, leading to higher rice prices. The study provides a more detailed understanding of how climate fluctuations impacted society.
The Arctic winter sea-ice extent reached a new record low in 2026, following the previous record low in March 2025. Temperatures in the Sea of Okhotsk and Baffin Bay-Labrador Sea region remained higher than average, limiting the southward expansion of sea ice.
Adélie penguins have been found to consume shelled pteropods as an opportunistic prey, highlighting a previously underdocumented trophic relationship in the Southern Ocean. The study provides valuable insights into the penguins' foraging behavior and its potential implications for the ecosystem.
A recent study reveals that linker histone H1 binds to nucleosomes and creates a dynamic, flexible network that condenses chromatin. This new understanding suggests that chromatin behaves like a liquid-like 'glue' rather than a rigid structure.
A team of researchers applied adaptive-bandwidth kernel density estimation to analyze the latest reversal timing dataset, revealing four distinct dips in the new reversal frequency model following the Cretaceous Normal Superchron. This suggests that short-time-interval geomagnetic reversals may be missing from the compiled record.
A recent study found that seals near glacier fronts have fuller stomachs, indicating intense feeding activity. This discovery has implications for Arctic marine ecosystems as glaciers retreat and habitats disappear.
Researchers develop a high-precision method to detect replication initiation sites in the human genome, discovering that cells can initiate DNA replication from almost anywhere. They also identify a protein complex called TRESLIN-MTBP that governs initiation zones and replication timing.
A Japanese research team studied beryllium-7 concentrations in the surface air over Antarctic regions of the Southern Ocean. Their findings showed that variations in beryllium-7 were connected to synoptic-scale disturbances, which also deposit other stratospheric materials onto the Antarctic ice sheet.
Research reveals that early Holocene ice-shelf retreat in East Antarctica was driven by oceanic forcing enhanced by meltwater discharge from neighboring regions. This self-reinforcing feedback loop accelerated inland ice loss, indicating that Antarctic ice retreat can propagate across multiple sectors through oceanic connections.
Researchers found large spinal motor neurons suffer from intrinsic protein and organelle degradation stress. The study suggests reducing this burden as a potential therapeutic strategy for ALS.
The Arctic Challenge for Sustainability II research program has led to a cross-disciplinary study on sustainable development in the Arctic for Indigenous peoples. The goal is to improve health, well-being, and security of Arctic communities while conserving ecosystem structures and resources.
Researchers conduct extensive four-month study to better understand cloud characteristics in the Southern Ocean, revealing a striking dominance of supercooled liquid water clouds. The findings provide valuable insights for accurately modeling polar climate and resolving discrepancies in climate models.
The Research Organization of Information and Systems (ROIS) has upgraded the Science Information Network SINET6 to 400 Gbps, supporting international collaborations in high-energy physics research, medicine, and genetics. The upgrade enables faster and more reliable data transfer for researchers worldwide.
A new machine learning algorithm, ShotgunCSP, has been developed to predict crystal structures from material compositions with high accuracy and efficiency. This breakthrough eliminates the need for iterative first-principles calculations, making it possible to predict stable structures even for large and complex systems.
Researchers develop E2T algorithm for extrapolative predictions, outperforming conventional machine learning in material property prediction tasks. The algorithm enables models to learn broadly applicable learning methods, achieving high predictive accuracy even beyond the training data.
Researchers developed a method to visualize different types of chromatin and revealed distinct physical properties. They found that euchromatin is more flexible and dynamic, while heterochromatin is more rigid and static. This discovery changes how scientists think about chromatin and its role in regulating gene function.
The National Institute of Polar Research's collection offers invaluable insights into the early solar system and planetary bodies. With over 13,000 classified meteorites, it advances global research on planetary evolution and solar system history.
Researchers developed SPACIER, an open-source software that integrates machine learning with molecular simulations to design high-performance optical polymers. The tool surpassed the empirical limits of refractive index and Abbe number in a proof-of-concept study, demonstrating its practical potential.
Research finds that aerosols from Canadian wildfires of summer 2023 contributed to the formation of ice clouds over the Arctic. Aerosol particles were transported via atmospheric rivers and contributed to ice cloud formation at temperatures warmer than usual.
A new large language model, 'llm-jp-3-172b-instruct3', has been released with approximately 172 billion parameters, trained from scratch using 2.1 trillion tokens of data. This model surpasses GPT-3.5 performance on benchmarks such as 'llm-jp-eval' and 'llm-leaderboard'.
Researchers evaluate drones' potential for long-term daily collection of meteorological data, showing promising results and cost-effectiveness. The study demonstrates that drones can provide accurate measurements comparable to traditional methods, improving the accuracy of numerical weather predictions and disaster prevention.
The seventh International Symposium on Arctic Research (ISAR-7) addressed Arctic changes' impacts on residents and the global community. The symposium featured diverse presentations covering atmospheric sciences, terrestrial science, and humanities, highlighting the need for interdisciplinary research to achieve sustainable development.
The unusual magenta color of this year's aurora over Japan was discovered through a massive citizen science effort, which collected data from over 775 grassroots submissions. The researchers found that the preheating of the atmosphere due to solar activity, combined with high-altitude ionized molecular nitrogen, created a unique optica...
The HYPOD-X database provides structured data on quasicrystals and approximants, extracted from scientific papers and books. Researchers can utilize machine learning to discover new quasicrystals with favorable temperature dependencies, leading to the development of thermal management devices.
Researchers found that Arctic warming leads to an increase in ice-nucleating particles, which promote ice crystal formation in clouds. This can reduce liquid water content and potentially accelerate further warming.
A team of scientists developed a special light microscopy system to analyze molecular density in cellular environments. They found that crowding around chromosomes increases during cell division, leading to a rise in depletion attraction, which renders chromosomes more rigid and ensures accurate transmission.
Nucleosomes are more constrained during mitosis, with increased restriction as chromosomes assemble. Condensins form loops to hold nucleosomes in place, while interactions between nucleosomes via histone tails contribute to global chromosome condensation.
The selected research project aims to develop a lightweight edge AI-based technology for jointly exploiting wireless communications and sensing in smart factories. It will enable high-quality wireless communications even under challenging situations.
A new emulator model improves auroral current system simulations, enabling faster and more efficient space weather forecasts. The Surrogate Model for REPPU Auroral Ionosphere version 2 (SMRAI2) is a million times faster than physics-based simulations and incorporates seasonal effects.
Marine bacteria and atmospheric rivers play a crucial role in forming ice clouds at higher-than-expected temperatures over the Southern Ocean. The findings from this study provide key information for improving numerical models of ice cloud formation, which can help better predict climate conditions in vulnerable polar regions.
Scientists have developed a system to detect icing conditions in drones flying over the polar regions, allowing for safer and more efficient data collection. The onboard aerosol counters enable real-time detection of supercooled cloud droplets, which can damage drone components.
Researchers developed a machine learning system to predict polymer miscibility with organic solvents, allowing for efficient recycling of plastics. The model can calculate χ parameters up to 40 times faster than conventional quantum chemistry calculations and has proven accurate in predicting suitable blends.
A multinational team of researchers studied the flow of warm water to the Totten Ice Shelf, revealing crucial details on how Circumpolar Deep Water interacts with the glacier and accelerates melting processes. The findings highlight the importance of bathymetry and regional circulation in regulating ocean heat transport towards the ice...
The study found that the Golgi apparatus plays a crucial role in initiating dendritic refinement through neuronal activity, particularly with the NMDAR receptor. The researchers observed changes in Golgi polarity and dendrite shape when NMDAR signal or Golgi polarity was interrupted.
The study reveals that euchromatin does not form fully open structures but instead is composed of condensed domains with dynamic liquid-like properties. These findings provide insight into how genomic information is searched and read out in living cells, challenging traditional dogma on chromatin structure.
Research in the Arctic tundra reveals that plant life determines soil bacteria diversity. Changes in vegetation due to climate change are expected to impact generalist and specialist bacteria populations. The study's findings provide insights into Arctic ecosystem functioning and predictions of future environmental changes.
A new study has introduced a technique to effectively and efficiently mitigate risks by misperception of image recognition AI used in automated driving systems. Researchers have developed DNN repair methods that explore sets of parameters responsible for each misperception type, leading to more effective risk mitigation.
Researchers discovered that euchromatin, a region of the genome involved in gene expression, is not open but rather condensed and behaves like a viscous fluid at the molecular level. This finding challenges conventional thinking and provides new insights into DNA damage prevention and gene regulation.
Researchers developed RadonPy, an open-source software that automates polymer physical property calculations using simulations. The program produced and stored data for over 1,000 unique amorphous polymers, validating its accuracy against experimental values.