Japanese Gardens Calm the Mind—Here's What Makes Them So Effective
The earliest major treatise on Japanese gardens dates back to the 11th century. Yet some of the ancient design principles—such as capturing the spirit of nature—are still in use today. Could there be something about this garden style that is especially good for fostering relaxation?
Research shows that exposure to nature induces positive feelings, but not all green spaces are equally therapeutic, according to a
Eye Movement and Lower Stress
The study, published in Frontiers in Neuroscience, adds to our understanding of how garden viewing offers a prescription-free method of reducing physiological and psychological signs of stress.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Allay Therapeutics Announces $57.5M Series D Financing and Venture Debt Line to Advance ATX101 and its Ultra-Sustained Pain Platform for Post-Surgical Pain Management
Series D led by Lightstone Ventures and ClavystBio, supported by leading global syndicate of new and existing investors; Additional venture debt funding led by HSBC Funds to advance ATX101 Phase 2b registration trial of post-surgical pain management in total knee replacement patients, data anticipated in Q4 2025 Joe Zakrzewski joins as Chairman of Allay Board of Directors Maruishi Pharmaceutical, Allay's partner in Japan, expands license territory to S. Korea and Taiwan SAN JOSE, Calif., June 05, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Allay Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering ultra-sustained analgesic products to transform post-surgical pain management and recuperation, today announced the completion of a $57.5M Series D financing round with leading global investors. Lightstone Ventures and ClavystBio co-led the Series D financing with participation by existing investors NEA, Arboretum Ventures, Vertex Growth, Vertex Ventures Healthcare, and Brandon Capital. New investors joining the round were IPD Capital, EDBI and SGInnovate, and HSBC Innovation Banking also provided additional venture debt financing to the Company. Allay also announced that Joe Zakrzewski, an experienced pharmaceutical executive, has been appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors, and Anselm Tan of ClavystBio will also join Allay's board, associated with the financing. Allay Therapeutics' Japanese partner Maruishi Pharmaceutical has expanded the territory of its license agreement to include South Korea and Taiwan, in addition to Japan. As part of the amendment to the license, Maruishi has also made an additional investment in Allay as part of the Series D financing. Maruishi is currently conducting a Phase I/II multi-center open-label safety study of ATX101 in Japan. Proceeds from the financing supports the Company's Phase 2b registration trial evaluating ATX101 for the treatment of post-surgical pain following total knee replacement (TKA) surgery and advances Allay's ultra-sustained platform of products for other unmet needs after painful surgeries. ATX101 is a novel investigational analgesic designed to provide extended pain relief after surgery, reducing the need for opioids and improving patient recovery. "Lightstone Ventures is pleased to be joined by a strong syndicate of biotechnology and medical device investors in the U.S. and Asia to support Allay with this fundraise to advance the Company's platform of products into pivotal clinical development. The Company is enrolling its Phase 2b registration trial ATX101 in the US for TKA surgeries and are expecting early completion of this trial in the coming months," stated Mike Carusi, Managing Partner at Lightstone Ventures. "It is rewarding to see Allay, which Lightstone Singapore helped to incubate alongside our partners at the Foundry, continue to grow and prosper." "With our recent breakthrough therapy designation (BTD) by FDA and constructive Type B meeting discussions held in March 2025, we have a clear roadmap to complete the ATX101 development program in TKA and are looking at additional indications and unmet needs in orthopedics, plastic surgery, anesthesiology and other soft tissue surgeries," stated Adam Gridley, President & CEO of Allay Therapeutics. "We believe the ATX platform of products driven by our teams in Singapore and the U.S. can help improve patient outcomes, reduce opioid use and improve function more rapidly than currently available therapies." "We are proud to support Allay as they advance best-in-class non-opioid solutions for patients suffering from pain and poor recovery outcomes after surgery. Allay exemplifies ClavystBio's mission to accelerate life sciences technologies from Singapore to the world," said Anselm Tan, Digital Health & MedTech Lead, ClavystBio. "ATX101 is one of several offerings in a pipeline driven by Singapore's R&D excellence, a strong collaboration among international teams, and a global syndicate of investors." Allay's Phase 2b registration trial of 200 participants undergoing total knee arthroplasty (replacement, or TKA surgery) is being conducted at multiple U.S. sites. The trial was initiated in February 2025 and is a three-arm, randomized, controlled study evaluating treatment with ATX101 1,500 mg versus placebo and a bupivacaine active comparator. A prior dose-ranging Phase 2b trial achieved clinically meaningful durable treatment effects with ATX101 versus standard-of-care bupivacaine based on pain intensity out to four weeks, with less use of opioids and meaningful improvement in functional activities up to 60 days following surgery. Based on those prior results, Allay's ATX101 product has received Breakthrough Therapy designation from the FDA. Results from the registration trial will be available in the fourth quarter of 2025 and a Phase 3 trial is planned for 2026. About Joe Zakrzewski:Mr. Zakrzewski has over 30 years of leadership experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry and has founded a number of biotechnology companies and been an inventor on numerous patents. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of multiple public & privately held companies. During his operating career he was Chairman and CEO of Amarin Pharmaceuticals, a Venture Partner with Orbimed, Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer of Xcellerex, a privately held company sold to GE Healthcare, and COO of Reliant Pharmaceuticals, a privately held company sold to GSK plc. Prior to this, Mr. Zakrzewski served in various executive roles including global leadership for Business Development at Eli Lilly & Company. He received a BS in Chemical Engineering and an MS in Biochemical Engineering from Drexel University, and an MBA in Finance from Indiana University. About Lightstone VenturesLightstone Ventures is a global venture capital firm investing in biotech and medtech companies pioneering big ideas poised to transform patient outcomes. We were founded in 2012 to empower visionary entrepreneurs with the resources and operational guidance necessary to bring their innovative therapeutics and technologies to the patients who need them most. Our investment team has led deals resulting in 19 acquisitions and 20 initial public offerings over the last two decades. The firm has offices in Boston, Mass., Portola Valley, Calif., and Dublin, Ireland. For more information, please visit About ClavystBioClavystBio is a life sciences investor and venture builder established by Temasek to accelerate the commercialization of breakthrough ideas into health impact. We invest and partner with innovators, entrepreneurs and founders to launch and grow global companies from Singapore. Our focus spans therapeutics, digital health and medtech, with an emphasis on first-in-class science and technology. Our collaborative space, Node 1, provides plug-and-play spaces for ventures that have graduated from incubators to progress to their next milestones. By bringing startups together, we foster a vibrant and supportive community. Since our inception in 2022, ClavystBio has committed over US $220 million in investments in the life sciences sector. For more information, please visit About ATX101ATX101 is a novel investigational configuration of an approved, well-characterized, validated intracellular sodium ion channel blocker, bupivacaine, and a biopolymer that has been designed to provide weeks of pain relief following total knee arthroplasty (TKA, or replacement), a common orthopedic surgery. ATX101 has a high density of drug within its small footprint to allow for ultra-sustained analgesia. It is placed in minutes at the end of standard surgery to deliver its analgesic effect over weeks before eventually dissolving into water and carbon dioxide. The simple procedure does not require specialized training and is intended to replace the existing complex mix of analgesic products used for shorter-term pain management in the post-surgical setting. ATX101 is an investigational product that has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. About Allay TherapeuticsAllay Therapeutics is pioneering ultra-sustained analgesic products to transform post-surgical pain management and recuperation for patients and physicians. Our proprietary technology platform combines validated non-opioid analgesics and biopolymers to create dissolvable candidates to deliver pain relief within a targeted site over weeks: an order of magnitude greater than the longest-lasting pain treatments currently available. Our platform and vision were shaped by The Foundry incubator and Lightstone Venture's Singapore Fund. Allay unites a dynamic, global team of entrepreneurs, scientists, clinicians and innovators in the San Francisco Bay Area and Singapore. Learn more at View source version on Contacts For further details, please contact:InvestorsAdam Mediaallay@ Sign in to access your portfolio
New York Times
38 minutes ago
- New York Times
How to Watch a Japanese Company Try to Land on the Moon's Surface
A Japanese company is hoping that the second time's the charm for putting a robotic lander on the moon. Ispace of Tokyo is among the private companies that have emerged in recent years aiming to establish a profitable business by sending experiments and other payloads to the surface of the moon. Its first spacecraft made it to lunar orbit in 2023, but crashed as it attempted to land. Its second spacecraft, named Resilience, launched in January and has been taking a roundabout path to the moon, entering orbit last month. Resilience is now ready to descend to the lunar surface, and Ispace hopes that it will arrive there intact. When is the moon landing, and how can I watch it? Resilience, also known as the Hakuto-R Mission 2 lander, is scheduled to land at 3:17 p.m. Eastern time Thursday. (It will be Friday at the company's mission control in Tokyo.) Ispace will provide live coverage of the landing beginning at 2:10 p.m. Eastern time. What is Ispace, and what happened during its last moon mission? Ispace emerged from a Japanese team that had aimed to win the Google Lunar X Prize, which offered $20 million for the first privately financed venture to land on the moon. None of the X Prize teams got off the ground before the competition expired in 2018. Takeshi Hakamada, the leader of the Japanese X Prize team, raised private financing to push forward and is the chief executive of Ispace. Do You See Craters or Bumps on the Moon's Surface? A picture taken recently by a Japanese company's spacecraft shows how your interpretation of objective reality can be tested by the power of illusion. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
NYT ‘Connections' Hints For Friday, June 6: Clues And Answers For Today's Game
Each day's game of NYT Connections goes live at midnight local time. Before we get to today's Connections hints and answers, here are Thursday's: Hey there, Connectors! The weekend is almost upon us. I hope it's a terrific one for you. If you're looking for some weekend reading, I would suggest checking out Tending Gardens. In this newsletter, "novice writer and farmer" Kana Chan provides a look into life in the rural village of Kamikatsu, Japan's first zero-waste municipality. It's always a joy to look in my inbox and see one of these notes about a style of living that's completely different to mine. In the most recent edition of Tending Gardens, Chan – who moved to Japan after growing up in Canada – wrote about Japanese vocabulary and learning words in the local dialect that are related to slow living: Before we begin, we have a great little community on Discord, where we chat about NYT Connections, the rest of the NYT games and all kinds of other stuff. Everyone who has joined has been lovely. It's a fun hangout spot, and you're more than welcome to hang out with us. Discord is also the best way to give me any feedback about the column, especially on the rare (or not-so-rare) occasions that I mess something up. I don't look at the comments or Twitter much. You can also read my weekend editions of this column at my new newsletter, Pastimes. Today's NYT Connections hints and answers for Friday, June 6 are coming right up. Connections is a free, popular New York Times daily word game. You get a new puzzle at midnight every day. You can play on the NYT's website or Games app. You're presented with a grid of 16 words. Your task is to arrange them into four groups of four by figuring out the links between them. The groups could be things like items you can click, names for research study participants or words preceded by a body part. There's only one solution for each puzzle, and you'll need to be careful when it comes to words that might fit into more than one category. You can shuffle the words to perhaps help you see links between them. Each group is color coded. The yellow group is usually the easiest to figure out, blue and green fall in the middle, and the purple group is usually the most difficult one. The purple group often involves wordplay. Select four words you think go together and press Submit. If you make a guess and you're incorrect, you'll lose a life. If you're close to having a correct group, you might see a message telling you that you're one word away from getting it right, but you'll still need to figure out which one to swap. If you make four mistakes, it's game over. Let's make sure that doesn't happen with the help of some hints, and, if you're really struggling, today's Connections answers. As with Wordle and other similar games, it's easy to share results with your friends on social media and group chats. If you have an NYT All Access or Games subscription, you can access the publication's Connections archive. This includes every previous game of Connections, so you can go back and play any of those that you have missed. Scroll slowly! Just after the hints for each of today's Connections groups, I'll reveal what the groups are without immediately telling you which words go into them. Today's 16 words are... And the hints for today's Connections groups are: Need some extra help? Be warned: we're starting to get into spoiler territory. Let's take a look at one word for each group. Today's Connections word hints are… Today's Connections groups are... Spoiler alert! Don't scroll any further down the page until you're ready to find out today's Connections answers. This is your final warning! Today's Connections answers are... We had at least two groups with five possibilities here: Let me tell you my heart swelled when I saw that there was a bunch of journalism-related words. NEWSHOUND didn't quite fit, though, as it's not a description of a job. That stood out to me and as I looked at the construction of the word (and the very out-of-place SNICKERDOODLE), the purples quickly became clear. I wasn't quite sure about the two groups other than the journalism jobs, so I cleared the yellows to get a better look at those. For what it's worth, when anyone asks me what I do for a living, I tend to say I'm a writer or blogger. I sometimes do some actual reporting (and I'm officially a "contributing reporter" elsewhere), but I mainly put words together on blogs. That's what I do. ROUTINE seemed the most likely to go with SWINDLE, CRIMINAL and DRAWBACK, so I made a guess with those four and was one away. Booo. On closer inspection, CONVENTION starts with "con," which can also mean a scam, so that made more sense. Indeed, that got me the blues. A slightly different connection than I had in mind, but I'll take it. That left the greens for victory. I had no problem figuring out the connection there. For the record, here's how I fared with this one: 🟪🟪🟪🟪 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟦🟩🟦🟦 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟩🟩🟩🟩 That's all there is to it for today's Connections clues and answers. I'll be back with you all here on Monday. In the meantime, you can check out my weekend editions of this column in my newsletter, Pastimes. P.S. I've no idea why this song popped into my head the other day, but it did, so I thought I'd share it with you all. I saw colonopenbracket open for a fun band called Drive-By Argument a very long time ago. I enjoyed their set quite a bit and "Cute" is my favorite thing I've heard from them. It's in the chiptune genre (think music made with the soundcard of old Nintendo consoles) and the musicality here is quite interesting. It sounds little like Owl City. Appropriately enough, I find this song rather cute: Have a great day! Stay hydrated! Call someone you love! Please follow my blog for more coverage of NYT Connections and other word games, and even some video game news, insights and analysis. It helps me out a lot! Sharing this column with other people who play Connections would be appreciated too. You can also read my weekend editions of this column at my new newsletter, Pastimes.
