Research News

Apr. 15, 2026Research Highlight Biology Chemistry

Catalyzing the production of useful biocompounds
A structural study reveals how an enzyme in a sponge bacterium catalyzes the production of a terpenoid

Apr. 9, 2026Research Highlight Biology

How microbes grow when multiple resources are limited
An 80-year-old expression that predicts how microbes grow has been generalized to account for multiple nutrients

Apr. 8, 2026Research Highlight Physics / Astronomy

The math of extreme electron beams interacting with particles
A new analysis reveals what happens when very short or narrow electron beams encounter a particle

Apr. 1, 2026Research Highlight Biology

What causes a molecular motor to spin?
The rotational mechanism for a critical biomolecular motor has been determined for the first time

Apr. 1, 2026Research Highlight Physics / Astronomy

Dual twists unlock chirality switching
Helical liquid crystals can reverse the ‘handedness’ of light through the application of ultralow electric fields

Mar. 26, 2026Feature Highlight Physics / Astronomy Engineering

Smart yarn that tracks muscle activity in the body
Created from noise-resistant, conductive threads, a high-tech new smart fabric could find uses in health monitoring, sports performance and rehabilitation.

Mar. 24, 2026Research Highlight Chemistry

A catalyst-free way to add boron to arenes
An alternative strategy for synthesizing an important group of boron-containing organic compounds has been realized

Mar. 24, 2026Research Highlight Biology

Synthetic cellular communications system illuminates embryonic development
Artificial molecular communication networks shed light on how signals control embryonic development

Mar. 18, 2026Research Highlight Biology

Liquid biopsy that can distinguish between similar enzymes
A liquid-biopsy method can quickly and easily distinguish between enzymes that have very similar structures

Mar. 18, 2026Research Highlight Biology

Building cellular skeletons in a dish
Researchers have used a light-based technique to create artificial structures that mimic the scaffolding of cells

Mar. 17, 2026Perspectives Physics / Astronomy

SPring‑8-II will transform the way we do science
RIKEN’s synchrotron is getting a major upgrade, enabling it to deliver 100 times more brilliant X-rays, reveal structures below one nanometer and halve its energy use.

Mar. 11, 2026Research Highlight Chemistry

Multi-metallic clusters selectively manipulate strong molecular skeletons
Titanium complexes cleanly edit the core skeleton of highly stable organic compounds

Mar. 11, 2026Research Highlight Biology

Taking the pressure off aging chromosomes during meiosis
Protein assemblies that relieve the strain on chromosome pairs during cell division could aid healthy reproduction in older parents

Mar. 5, 2026Research Highlight Biology

Pond creature exposes a parallel track for RNA processing
A newly decoded ‘splicing code’ in microalgae could open doors for bioengineering applications

Mar. 5, 2026Research Highlight Biology

Piecing together parasitic plant pathways
Determining the developmental pathway for an organ that parasitic plants use to siphon off nutrients from hosts could help scientists find ways to curb the parasite

Feb. 26, 2026Research Highlight Biology

How RNA binding selectivity arises from disordered regions
The disordered region of a protein is found to give rise to the protein’s selectivity when binding to RNA

Feb. 18, 2026Press Release Biology Medicine / Disease Computing / Math

Machine-learned biomarker identifies those at high risk for liver cancer

Feb. 17, 2026Research Highlight Physics / Astronomy

Less noise, more gain for quantum computers
A low-noise readout amplifier promises to accelerate progress on large-scale quantum computers

Feb. 16, 2026Press Release Biology

Pros and cons of pesticides and fertilizers in real-world mandarin orange farms

Feb. 12, 2026Research Highlight Biology

Unravelling the mysteries of glycosylation
The discovery of a key enzyme provides new insights into the genetic regulation of protein modification by sugars