Excessive mobile gaming is raising concerns about health and sleep, but research from Kyushu University suggests that small changes can help. In a global study involving over 80,000 players, the team found that grayscale visuals and loading delays encourage users to reduce playtime naturally. When combined with a 10-second delay, grayscale reduced daily playtime by 30.8% and retention by 40.4%. The team calls on developers to adopt these insights to create healthier digital spaces.

Researchers in China developed toGC, a new tool that corrects errors in gene annotations using RNA-seq data. Experimentally validated toGC's accuracy, discovering two novel GPCR genes misannotated as one. Demonstrated toGC's broad utility by applying it successfully to multiple oomycete species.

In modern alkaline batteries, the zinc anode is the performance-limiting and lifetime-limiting electrode, making the choice of zinc powder critical. Due to the various material fabrication processes that are used to manufacture industrial zinc powder, there exists a wide array of possible zinc particle shapes, sizes, and crystallinities. These industrial zinc powders are typically conceived, produced, and tested through trial-and-error processes using historical “rules of thumb.” However, a data-driven approach could more effectively elucidate the optimum combination of zinc particle properties. In this paper, the effect of Zn particle size, shape, and crystallinity on the achievable capacity and corrosion current is investigated. The Zn types are tested in both powder and slurry form. Following the data collection, a factorial-based statistical analysis is performed to determine the most statistically significant variables affecting capacity and corrosion. This information is then used to down-select to a subset of particles that are tested in cylindrical cells with an AA-equivalent geometry. The reported technique can be used to develop actionable principles for battery manufacturers to create cells that are more stable, longer lasting, and have higher energy densities.